Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhanbad and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhanbad: $306 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Dhanbad
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Dhanbad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dhanbad

🇮🇳 India

$306

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhanbad and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dhanbad and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $306 per month in Dhanbad vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dhanbad $306
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $485 per month in Dhanbad vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dhanbad $485
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $664 per month in Dhanbad vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dhanbad $664
Chiang Mai $1,979

Dhanbad is about 67% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dhanbad and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dhanbad 78% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.55 ₹148

$2.24 ฿75.7

-30.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.21 ₹876

$19.00 ฿642

-51.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.18 ₹302

$5.55 ฿188

-42.70%

Cappuccino

$1.36 ₹129

$1.67 ฿56.6

-18.56%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ₹36.36

$0.64 ฿21.56

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ₹12.75

$0.31 ฿10.32

-58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 ₹188

$2.36 ฿79.6

-16.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 ₹397

$3.66 ฿124

14.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 ₹59.7

$1.95 ฿65.8

-67.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 ₹38.59

$1.44 ฿48.51

-71.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.56 ₹53.3

$1.33 ฿45.07

-57.89%

Eggs

$0.94 ₹89.3

$2.28 ฿77.1

-58.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.71 ₹353

$16.45 ฿556

-77.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.21 ₹210

$2.78 ฿94.0

-20.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 ₹134

$2.35 ฿79.5

-40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 ₹63.8

$0.97 ฿32.82

-30.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 ₹95.1

$1.60 ฿53.9

-37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 ₹42.42

$1.50 ฿50.7

-70.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.21 ₹19.89

$1.28 ฿43.15

-83.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 ₹37.52

$1.10 ฿37.22

-64.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ₹43.98

$0.71 ฿23.84

-35.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₹25.32

$0.49 ฿16.38

-44.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₹471

$4.14 ฿140

19.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.20 ₹304

$17.52 ฿592

-81.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 ₹149

$1.61 ฿54.5

-2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₹196

$2.78 ฿94.0

-25.90%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.58 ₹625

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₹20.94

$0.87 ฿29.33

-74.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₹122

$1.16 ฿39.08

10.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.12 ₹11.83

$0.53 ฿17.82

-77.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹101

$2.42 ฿81.8

-55.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹105

$1.45 ฿48.93

-23.45%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$8,380 ₹797.0K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-60.20%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.9K ₹2.7M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

3.54%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$44.77 ₹4,258

$62.2 ฿2,100

-27.99%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$2.92 ₹278

$12.17 ฿411

-76.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.50 ₹619

$20.12 ฿680

-67.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.30 ₹1,075

$37.31 ฿1,260

-69.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 ₹584

$3.77 ฿127

62.86%

Cinema Ticket

$2.69 ₹256

$6.49 ฿219

-58.55%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$29.56 ₹2,812

$736 ฿24.9K

-95.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,180 ₹112.2K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-92.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.19 ₹2,301

$53.4 ฿1,802

-54.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.09 ₹2,766

$24.64 ฿832

18.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.60 ₹3,671

$91.5 ฿3,089

-57.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.49 ₹2,329

$71.9 ฿2,429

-65.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$59.3 ₹5,637

$482 ฿16.3K

-87.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$40.62 ₹3,863

$309 ฿10.4K

-86.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$170 ₹16.2K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-83.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$109 ₹10.4K

$633 ฿21.4K

-82.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,588 ₹151.0K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-32.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$377 ₹35.9K

$590 ฿19.9K

-36.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

61.58%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Dhanbad: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Dhanbad

$81 26.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 191% $154

Eating Out

Dhanbad

$59 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 32.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhanbad

$54 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.3% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Dhanbad

$52 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 107% $56

Accommodation & Living

Dhanbad

$41 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 661% $268

Sport & Entertainment

Dhanbad

$17 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 202% $34

Getting Around

Dhanbad

$2.8 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2099% $59

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $59 in Dhanbad versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 56% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9 in Dhanbad versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $81 vs $234 – making Dhanbad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Dhanbad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

18:34 6:34 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dhanbad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,162,472

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dhanbad Chiang Mai 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhanbad
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Dhanbad vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 206% more than Dhanbad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $459 per month in Dhanbad and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dhanbad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $59 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9 in Dhanbad and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 191% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Families tend to lean toward Dhanbad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dhanbad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.