Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Howrah and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Howrah: $382 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Howrah
Learn more

Howrah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Howrah

🇮🇳 India

$382

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $382 per month in Howrah vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Howrah $382
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $505 per month in Howrah vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Howrah $505
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $628 per month in Howrah vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Howrah $628
Chiang Mai $1,914

Howrah is about 59% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Howrah and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Howrah 72% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₹202

$2.26 ฿75.4

-5.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.29 ₹882

$19.18 ฿641

-51.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.21 ₹400

$5.59 ฿187

-24.69%

Cappuccino

$1.43 ₹136

$1.72 ฿57.6

-16.86%

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

$0.48 ₹46.02

$0.64 ฿21.54

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 ₹11.05

$0.33 ฿11.18

-63.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 ₹151

$2.36 ฿78.7

-32.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ₹307

$3.90 ฿130

-17.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.60 ₹56.6

$2.05 ฿68.6

-70.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.43 ₹40.82

$1.40 ฿46.70

-69.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ₹67.0

$1.28 ฿42.89

-44.53%

Eggs

$1.08 ₹103

$2.25 ฿75.3

-52.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.40 ₹512

$16.94 ฿566

-68.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.59 ₹246

$2.74 ฿91.6

-5.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ₹206

$2.40 ฿80.3

-9.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 ₹80.7

$1.01 ฿33.92

-15.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 ₹134

$1.61 ฿53.9

-12.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.62 ₹58.6

$1.52 ฿50.7

-59.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.29

$1.28 ฿42.90

-76.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.93

$1.11 ฿37.22

-63.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 ₹32.55

$0.72 ฿24.09

-52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 ₹24.53

$0.52 ฿17.54

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.88 ₹463

$4.33 ฿145

12.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 ₹1,009

$17.73 ฿593

-40.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₹133

$1.63 ฿54.4

-14.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ₹258

$2.85 ฿95.3

-4.56%

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

$8.58 ₹815

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ₹15.20

$0.85 ฿28.31

-81.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 ₹57.2

$1.17 ฿39.18

-48.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹30.90

$0.57 ฿19.00

-42.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 ₹152

$2.37 ฿79.2

-32.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.45 ฿48.32

-26.21%

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

$15.6K ₹1.5M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-23.84%

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

$20.0K ₹1.9M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-24.46%

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

$44.85 ₹4,259

$62.3 ฿2,083

-28.04%

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

$3.37 ₹320

$12.27 ฿410

-72.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.41 ₹609

$19.97 ฿668

-67.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.87 ₹1,317

$37.91 ฿1,267

-63.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 ₹294

$6.71 ฿224

-53.95%

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

$26.25 ₹2,493

$797 ฿26.6K

-96.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,264 ₹120.1K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-91.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.57 ₹2,523

$53.3 ฿1,780

-50.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.65 ₹2,436

$25.05 ฿837

2.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.19 ₹3,341

$91.6 ฿3,062

-61.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.40 ₹2,697

$73.5 ฿2,455

-61.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$113 ₹10.7K

$464 ฿15.5K

-75.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.7 ₹7,379

$305 ฿10.2K

-74.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$354 ₹33.7K

$595 ฿19.9K

-40.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.04

5.57

62.30%

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

Last update for Howrah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Howrah

$111 29.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 114% $127

Accommodation & Living

Howrah

$78 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 292% $227

Eating Out

Howrah

$64 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 24.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Howrah

$55 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 73.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Howrah

$52 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 110% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Howrah

$20 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 156% $31

Getting Around

Howrah

$2.9 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 2036% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $113 in Howrah 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 68% 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 $9.00 in Howrah versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $111 vs $238 – making Howrah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Howrah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:47 2:47 PM

16:17 4:17 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Howrah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,072,161

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Howrah Chiang Mai 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Howrah
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 146% more than Howrah, 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 $573 per month in Howrah 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 Howrah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9.00 in Howrah and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 114% 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 Howrah, where all-in costs run around $382, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Howrah 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. Howrah costs $382 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 Howrah. 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.