Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Faisalabad and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Faisalabad: $398 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Faisalabad
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Faisalabad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Faisalabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$398

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Faisalabad 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 Faisalabad and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $398 per month in Faisalabad vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Faisalabad $398
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $620 per month in Faisalabad vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Faisalabad $620
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $841 per month in Faisalabad vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Faisalabad $841
Chiang Mai $1,914

Faisalabad is about 58% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Faisalabad and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Faisalabad 70% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.85 PKR 511

$2.26 ฿75.4

-18.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.80 PKR 2,989

$19.18 ฿641

-43.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 PKR 1,465

$5.59 ฿187

-5.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 PKR 680

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 PKR 605

Cappuccino

$1.52 PKR 420

$1.72 ฿57.6

-11.63%

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

$0.43 PKR 120

$0.64 ฿21.54

-32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 PKR 81.7

$0.33 ฿11.18

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 PKR 225

$2.05 ฿68.6

-60.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 PKR 179

$1.40 ฿46.70

-53.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 349

$1.28 ฿42.89

-1.56%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$2.25 ฿75.3

-44.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.53 PKR 2,362

$16.94 ฿566

-49.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.59 PKR 716

$2.74 ฿91.6

-5.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.96 PKR 1,096

$9.36 ฿313

-57.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 PKR 304

$2.40 ฿80.3

-54.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 PKR 181

$1.01 ฿33.92

-35.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.58 PKR 159

$1.61 ฿53.9

-63.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 PKR 164

$1.52 ฿50.7

-61.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PKR 83.6

$1.28 ฿42.90

-76.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 PKR 130

$1.11 ฿37.22

-57.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 PKR 172

$0.72 ฿24.09

-13.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 122

$0.52 ฿17.54

-15.38%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.55 PKR 152

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 PKR 143

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 PKR 194

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.40 PKR 389

$4.33 ฿145

-67.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.08 PKR 1,958

$53.9 ฿1,801

-86.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 PKR 292

$1.17 ฿39.18

-10.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 PKR 295

$0.57 ฿19.00

85.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 PKR 785

$2.37 ฿79.2

19.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 PKR 324

$1.45 ฿48.32

-19.31%

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

$23.8K PKR 6.6M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

16.47%

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

$23.2K PKR 6.4M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-12.37%

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

$68.6 PKR 19.0K

$62.3 ฿2,083

9.98%

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

$7.88 PKR 2,181

$12.27 ฿410

-35.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.57 PKR 3,203

$19.97 ฿668

-42.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.39 PKR 3,982

$37.91 ฿1,267

-62.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.78 PKR 4,920

$3.76 ฿126

372.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.17 PKR 1,983

$6.71 ฿224

6.86%

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

$26.99 PKR 7,470

$797 ฿26.6K

-96.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,046 PKR 566.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-86.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.01 PKR 5,263

$53.3 ฿1,780

-64.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.58 PKR 7,358

$25.05 ฿837

6.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.6 PKR 14.8K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-41.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.28 PKR 8,380

$73.5 ฿2,455

-58.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$110 PKR 30.3K

$464 ฿15.5K

-76.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$58.8 PKR 16.3K

$305 ฿10.2K

-80.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$217 PKR 60.0K

$915 ฿30.6K

-76.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$121 PKR 33.5K

$552 ฿18.5K

-78.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$543 PKR 150.4K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-71.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$251 PKR 69.3K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-82.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 PKR 46.0K

$595 ฿19.9K

-72.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

5.57

112.39%

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

Last update for Faisalabad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Faisalabad

$99 25%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 139% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Faisalabad

$88 22.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 7.5% $6.6

Accommodation & Living

Faisalabad

$59 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 418% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Faisalabad

$58 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 88% $51

Eating Out

Faisalabad

$52 13%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 52.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Faisalabad

$29 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 78.8% $23

Getting Around

Faisalabad

$13 * 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 356% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $110 in Faisalabad versus $464 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 258% 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 $11.00 in Faisalabad versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $99.0 vs $238 – making Faisalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Faisalabad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

05:02 5:02 AM

2 h ahead of Faisalabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,203,846

127,240

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Faisalabad Chiang Mai 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Faisalabad
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 136% more than Faisalabad, 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 $598 per month in Faisalabad and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Faisalabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $26.99 per month in Faisalabad and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 139% 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.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Faisalabad, where all-in costs run around $398, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Faisalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Faisalabad costs $398 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Faisalabad. 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.