Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imphal and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Imphal: $353 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Imphal
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Imphal Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Imphal

🇮🇳 India

$353

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $353 per month in Imphal vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Imphal $353
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $576 per month in Imphal vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Imphal $576
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $800 per month in Imphal vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Imphal $800
Chiang Mai $1,979

Imphal is about 62% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Imphal and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Imphal 74% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.16 ₹206

$2.24 ฿75.7

-3.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.50 ₹809

$19.00 ฿642

-55.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.41 ₹420

$5.55 ฿188

-20.54%

Cappuccino

$0.75 ₹71.4

$1.67 ฿56.6

-55.09%

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

$0.43 ₹40.79

$0.64 ฿21.56

-32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 ₹16.78

$0.31 ฿10.32

-41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ₹102

$2.36 ฿79.6

-54.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₹271

$3.66 ฿124

-22.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 ₹72.4

$1.95 ฿65.8

-61.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₹76.2

$1.44 ฿48.51

-44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.43 ₹41.27

$1.33 ฿45.07

-67.67%

Eggs

$1.22 ₹116

$2.28 ฿77.1

-46.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.65 ₹443

$16.45 ฿556

-71.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.71 ₹258

$2.78 ฿94.0

-2.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 ₹247

$2.35 ฿79.5

10.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 ₹61.1

$0.97 ฿32.82

-34.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ₹87.9

$1.60 ฿53.9

-42.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 ₹57.2

$1.50 ฿50.7

-60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹35.96

$1.28 ฿43.15

-70.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ₹35.81

$1.10 ฿37.22

-65.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 ₹46.36

$0.71 ฿23.84

-30.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₹21.88

$0.49 ฿16.38

-53.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹483

$4.14 ฿140

22.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.41 ₹1,086

$17.52 ฿592

-34.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 ₹138

$1.61 ฿54.5

-9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ₹138

$2.78 ฿94.0

-47.84%

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

$5.18 ₹493

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ₹31.60

$0.87 ฿29.33

-62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.37 ₹702

$54.1 ฿1,827

-86.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₹98.8

$1.16 ฿39.08

-10.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹31.85

$0.53 ฿17.82

-37.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 ₹143

$2.42 ฿81.8

-38.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ₹109

$1.45 ฿48.93

-20.69%

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

$10.2K ₹967.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-51.77%

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

$17.0K ₹1.6M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-36.96%

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

$67.1 ₹6,393

$62.2 ฿2,100

7.99%

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

$3.12 ₹297

$12.17 ฿411

-74.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.91 ₹467

$20.12 ฿680

-75.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$5.36 ₹511

$37.31 ฿1,260

-85.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.55 ₹147

$3.77 ฿127

-58.89%

Cinema Ticket

$2.70 ₹257

$6.49 ฿219

-58.40%

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

$14.50 ₹1,381

$736 ฿24.9K

-98.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,439 ₹137.0K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-90.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.78 ₹1,979

$53.4 ฿1,802

-61.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.08 ₹2,007

$24.64 ฿832

-14.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$31.70 ₹3,018

$91.5 ฿3,089

-65.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.93 ₹2,945

$71.9 ฿2,429

-57.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$91.1 ₹8,671

$482 ฿16.3K

-81.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$42.51 ₹4,048

$309 ฿10.4K

-86.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₹23.6K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-75.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 ₹17.5K

$633 ฿21.4K

-70.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$423 ₹40.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-82.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$253 ₹24.1K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-84.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$186 ₹17.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

-68.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.35

5.57

157.63%

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

Last update for Imphal: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Imphal

$113 32%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 108% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imphal

$75 21.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 25.7% $19

Eating Out

Imphal

$53 15%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 46.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Imphal

$47 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 131% $62

Accommodation & Living

Imphal

$43 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 627% $266

Getting Around

Imphal

$11 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 438% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Imphal

$11 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 367% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $91 in Imphal 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 in Chiang Mai are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Imphal versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $113 vs $234 – making Imphal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Imphal

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Imphal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

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

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Highest

Between locations

Imphal Chiang Mai 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Imphal
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 165% more than Imphal, 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 $529 per month in Imphal 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 Imphal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $91 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $14.50 per month in Imphal 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 108% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $353 in Imphal and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Imphal – 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 Imphal. 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.