Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haldia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Haldia: $423 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Haldia, India
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Haldia
🇮🇳 India
$423
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $423 per month in Haldia vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Haldia $423
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $662 per month in Haldia vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Haldia $662
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $900 per month in Haldia vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Haldia $900
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Haldia is about 55% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Haldia and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Haldia 69% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Haldia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.10 ₹294
$2.24 ฿75.6
38.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$7.84 ₹745
$19.00 ฿641
-58.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.75 ₹356
$5.55 ฿187
-32.43%
Cappuccino
$1.39 ₹132
$1.67 ฿56.5
-16.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 ₹52.5
$0.64 ฿21.54
-14.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.13 ₹11.92
$0.31 ฿10.31
-58.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.63 ₹154
$2.36 ฿79.5
-30.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 ₹156
$3.66 ฿124
-54.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Haldia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.64 ₹60.6
$1.95 ฿65.7
-67.18%
White Bread (500g)
$0.43 ₹40.82
$1.44 ฿48.46
-70.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.64 ₹61.1
$1.33 ฿45.03
-51.88%
Eggs
$0.96 ₹91.1
$2.28 ฿77.1
-57.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.28 ₹691
$16.45 ฿555
-55.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.35 ₹223
$2.78 ฿93.9
-15.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$9.31 ฿314
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.09 ₹199
$2.35 ฿79.4
-11.06%
Banana (1kg)
$0.69 ₹65.7
$0.97 ฿32.79
-28.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.54 ₹147
$1.60 ฿53.9
-3.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.66 ₹62.6
$1.50 ฿50.6
-56.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.35 ₹33.69
$1.28 ฿43.11
-72.66%
Onion (1kg)
$0.50 ₹47.63
$1.10 ฿37.18
-54.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.49 ₹46.13
$0.71 ฿23.82
-30.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₹28.10
$0.49 ฿16.36
-38.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.90 ₹465
$4.14 ฿140
18.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.82 ₹1,217
$17.52 ฿591
-26.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 ₹135
$1.61 ฿54.5
-11.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 ₹282
$2.78 ฿93.9
6.83%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$8.34 ₹792
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Haldia
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.20 ₹19.00
$0.87 ฿29.30
-77.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.98 ₹757
$54.1 ฿1,825
-85.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.07 ₹101
$1.16 ฿39.04
-7.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ₹25.71
$0.53 ฿17.80
-49.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.62 ₹154
$2.42 ฿81.7
-33.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 ₹107
$1.45 ฿48.88
-22.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.4K ₹1.1M
$21.1K ฿710.5K
-45.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.0K ₹1.9M
$26.9K ฿909.0K
-25.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Haldia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$45.15 ₹4,287
$62.2 ฿2,098
-27.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.45 ₹328
$12.17 ฿411
-71.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.24 ₹593
$20.12 ฿679
-68.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Haldia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.02 ₹1,521
$37.31 ฿1,259
-57.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.60 ₹531
$3.77 ฿127
48.54%
Cinema Ticket
$3.21 ₹305
$6.49 ฿219
-50.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Haldia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$27.14 ₹2,577
$736 ฿24.8K
-96.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,280 ₹121.6K
$14.8K ฿498.2K
-91.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Haldia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$33.85 ₹3,214
$53.4 ฿1,801
-36.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.60 ₹2,526
$24.64 ฿831
7.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$60.5 ₹5,748
$91.5 ฿3,087
-33.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$35.55 ₹3,376
$71.9 ฿2,427
-50.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Haldia
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$121 ₹11.5K
$482 ฿16.3K
-74.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$76.4 ₹7,257
$309 ฿10.4K
-75.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$271 ₹25.7K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-73.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$184 ₹17.5K
$633 ฿21.4K
-70.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,049 ₹99.6K
$2,363 ฿79.7K
-55.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$588 ₹55.9K
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-62.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Haldia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$590 ฿19.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.25
5.57
84.02%

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

Last update for Haldia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Haldia
$121
Chiang Mai
$234 93.7% $113
Accommodation & Living
Haldia
$76
Chiang Mai
$309 304% $232
Clothing & Footwear
Haldia
$70
Chiang Mai
$109 54.2% $38
Eating Out
Haldia
$67
Chiang Mai
$78 16% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Haldia
$55
Chiang Mai
$94 72.2% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Haldia
$22
Chiang Mai
$50 124% $28
Getting Around
Haldia
$11
Chiang Mai
$61 448% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $121 in Haldia 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Haldia versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $121 vs $234 – making Haldia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Haldia
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
19:21 7:21 PM
20:51 8:51 PM
1 h 30 min ahead of Haldia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
200,762
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
  • Haldia Chiang Mai 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Haldia
  • 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
Haldia vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Haldia or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 121% more than Haldia, 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 Haldia and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $635 per month in Haldia 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, Haldia or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Haldia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $121 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Haldia and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $27 per month in Haldia and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Haldia or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 94% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Haldia or in Chiang Mai?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $423 in Haldia and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Haldia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Haldia compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Haldia is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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