Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guwahati and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Guwahati: $397 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Guwahati
Learn more

Guwahati Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Guwahati

🇮🇳 India

$397

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $397 per month in Guwahati vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Guwahati $397
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $664 per month in Guwahati vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Guwahati $664
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $931 per month in Guwahati vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Guwahati $931
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

Both Guwahati and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Guwahati 71% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.83 ₹269

$2.24 ฿75.7

26.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.50 ₹1,095

$19.00 ฿642

-39.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 ₹496

$5.55 ฿188

-6.13%

Cappuccino

$2.45 ₹233

$1.67 ฿56.6

46.71%

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

$0.40 ₹38.45

$0.64 ฿21.56

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.14

$0.31 ฿10.32

-51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₹123

$2.36 ฿79.6

-45.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₹320

$3.66 ฿124

-8.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 ₹63.9

$1.95 ฿65.8

-65.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 ₹43.88

$1.44 ฿48.51

-68.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.54 ₹51.7

$1.33 ฿45.07

-59.40%

Eggs

$0.93 ₹88.8

$2.28 ฿77.1

-59.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.07 ₹387

$16.45 ฿556

-75.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ₹314

$2.78 ฿94.0

18.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 ₹217

$2.35 ฿79.5

-2.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.9

$0.97 ฿32.82

-27.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.90 ₹85.3

$1.60 ฿53.9

-43.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ₹58.3

$1.50 ฿50.7

-59.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 ₹33.63

$1.28 ฿43.15

-72.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₹33.28

$1.10 ฿37.22

-68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 ₹31.43

$0.71 ฿23.84

-53.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.81

$0.49 ฿16.38

-40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.11 ₹486

$4.14 ฿140

23.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.23 ₹689

$17.52 ฿592

-58.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₹164

$1.61 ฿54.5

6.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₹233

$2.78 ฿94.0

-11.87%

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

$4.96 ₹472

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₹19.04

$0.87 ฿29.33

-77.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.15 ₹490

$54.1 ฿1,827

-90.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₹69.5

$1.16 ฿39.08

-37.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.79

$0.53 ฿17.82

-43.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₹127

$2.42 ฿81.8

-45.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹105

$1.45 ฿48.93

-24.14%

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

$11.3K ₹1.1M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-46.44%

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

$16.4K ₹1.6M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-39.23%

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

$34.80 ₹3,314

$62.2 ฿2,100

-44.02%

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

$3.33 ₹317

$12.17 ฿411

-72.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.43 ₹612

$20.12 ฿680

-68.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.01 ₹1,144

$37.31 ฿1,260

-67.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.02 ₹954

$3.77 ฿127

165.78%

Cinema Ticket

$3.21 ₹306

$6.49 ฿219

-50.54%

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

$27.18 ₹2,588

$736 ฿24.9K

-96.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,201 ₹209.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-85.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.96 ₹1,615

$53.4 ฿1,802

-68.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.82 ₹2,935

$24.64 ฿832

25.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.87 ₹3,606

$91.5 ฿3,089

-58.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.59 ₹2,627

$71.9 ฿2,429

-61.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.6K

$482 ฿16.3K

-68.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.4 ₹8,508

$309 ฿10.4K

-71.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₹34.2K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-64.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 ₹25.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

-58.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$742 ₹70.7K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-68.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$519 ₹49.4K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-67.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 ₹32.0K

$590 ฿19.9K

-43.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

5.57

32.50%

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

Last update for Guwahati: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guwahati

$103 25.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 128% $132

Accommodation & Living

Guwahati

$89 22.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 246% $220

Eating Out

Guwahati

$83 20.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 6.6% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Guwahati

$51 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 113% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guwahati

$45 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 112% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Guwahati

$18 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 173% $32

Getting Around

Guwahati

$8.2 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 649% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $154 in Guwahati 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 76% 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 $12 in Guwahati versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $234 – making Guwahati the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Guwahati

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

03:00 3:00 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Guwahati

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guwahati Chiang Mai 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Guwahati
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 135% more than Guwahati, 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 $596 per month in Guwahati 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 Guwahati, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $154 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $27 per month in Guwahati and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 128% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

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