Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gandhinagar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Gandhinagar: $470 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Gandhinagar, India
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Gandhinagar
🇮🇳 India
$470
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $470 per month in Gandhinagar vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Gandhinagar $470
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $714 per month in Gandhinagar vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Gandhinagar $714
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $958 per month in Gandhinagar vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Gandhinagar $958
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Gandhinagar is about 50% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Gandhinagar and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Gandhinagar 65% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gandhinagar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.19 ₹303
$2.24 ฿75.6
42.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.70 ₹1,016
$19.00 ฿641
-43.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.67 ₹348
$5.55 ฿187
-33.87%
Cappuccino
$2.36 ₹224
$1.67 ฿56.5
41.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ₹34.53
$0.64 ฿21.54
-43.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.13 ₹12.47
$0.31 ฿10.31
-58.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.43 ₹325
$2.36 ฿79.5
45.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.16 ₹395
$3.66 ฿124
13.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gandhinagar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.68 ₹64.5
$1.95 ฿65.7
-65.13%
White Bread (500g)
$0.51 ₹48.23
$1.44 ฿48.46
-64.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.71 ₹67.2
$1.33 ฿45.03
-46.62%
Eggs
$1.15 ₹109
$2.28 ฿77.1
-49.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.47 ₹519
$16.45 ฿555
-66.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.20 ₹399
$2.78 ฿93.9
51.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$9.31 ฿314
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.74 ₹165
$2.35 ฿79.4
-25.96%
Banana (1kg)
$0.60 ₹56.8
$0.97 ฿32.79
-38.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.80 ₹76.3
$1.60 ฿53.9
-50.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.59 ₹55.7
$1.50 ฿50.6
-60.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.35 ₹33.40
$1.28 ฿43.11
-72.66%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 ₹38.75
$1.10 ฿37.18
-62.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.60 ₹56.5
$0.71 ฿23.82
-15.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₹28.24
$0.49 ฿16.36
-38.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.17 ₹491
$4.14 ฿140
24.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.70 ₹731
$17.52 ฿591
-56.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ₹173
$1.61 ฿54.5
13.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.99 ₹284
$2.78 ฿93.9
7.55%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.35 ₹603
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Gandhinagar
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 ₹33.76
$0.87 ฿29.30
-58.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.1 ฿1,825
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.60 ₹56.9
$1.16 ฿39.04
-48.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.25 ₹23.46
$0.53 ฿17.80
-52.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 ₹97.7
$2.42 ฿81.7
-57.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 ₹104
$1.45 ฿48.88
-24.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.1K ₹1.1M
$21.1K ฿710.5K
-47.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.7K ₹1.8M
$26.9K ฿909.0K
-30.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gandhinagar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$43.83 ₹4,162
$62.2 ฿2,098
-29.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.69 ₹351
$12.17 ฿411
-69.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.50 ₹1,092
$20.12 ฿679
-42.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gandhinagar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$37.31 ฿1,259
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$3.01 ₹286
$6.49 ฿219
-53.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gandhinagar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$33.28 ₹3,160
$736 ฿24.8K
-95.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$901 ₹85.6K
$14.8K ฿498.2K
-93.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gandhinagar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.49 ₹2,136
$53.4 ฿1,801
-57.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.45 ₹2,322
$24.64 ฿831
-0.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$46.44 ₹4,410
$91.5 ฿3,087
-49.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$32.60 ₹3,095
$71.9 ฿2,427
-54.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gandhinagar
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$130 ₹12.3K
$482 ฿16.3K
-73.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$139 ₹13.2K
$309 ฿10.4K
-54.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$267 ₹25.4K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-73.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$272 ₹25.9K
$633 ฿21.4K
-57.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,037 ₹98.4K
$2,363 ฿79.7K
-56.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,282 ₹121.8K
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-19.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gandhinagar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$779 ₹74.0K
$590 ฿19.9K
32.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.86
5.57
59.07%

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

Last update for Gandhinagar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Gandhinagar
$139
Chiang Mai
$309 122% $170
Groceries & Markets
Gandhinagar
$113
Chiang Mai
$234 107% $121
Eating Out
Gandhinagar
$92
Chiang Mai
$78 15.9% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gandhinagar
$59
Chiang Mai
$94 60% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Gandhinagar
$57
Chiang Mai
$109 91.6% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Gandhinagar
$6 *
Chiang Mai
$50 735% $44
Getting Around
Gandhinagar
$3.3 *
Chiang Mai
$61 1782% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $130 in Gandhinagar 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 32% higher in Gandhinagar, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Gandhinagar versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $113 vs $234 – making Gandhinagar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Gandhinagar
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
23:35 11:35 PM
01:05 1:05 AM
1 h 30 min ahead of Gandhinagar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
206,200
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gandhinagar Chiang Mai 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gandhinagar
  • 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
Gandhinagar vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Gandhinagar or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 99% more than Gandhinagar, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Gandhinagar and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $705 per month in Gandhinagar and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Gandhinagar or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Gandhinagar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $130 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do dining costs compare in Gandhinagar and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Gandhinagar and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Gandhinagar or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 107% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Gandhinagar or in Chiang Mai?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Gandhinagar, where all-in costs run around $470, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Gandhinagar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Gandhinagar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Gandhinagar vs other spots: cost of living compared

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