Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Islamabad and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Islamabad: $599 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
Learn more

Islamabad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$599

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $599 per month in Islamabad vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Islamabad $599
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $930 per month in Islamabad vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Islamabad $930
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,261 per month in Islamabad vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Islamabad $1,261
Chiang Mai $1,914

Islamabad is about 36% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Islamabad and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Islamabad 56% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 PKR 1,004

$2.26 ฿75.4

60.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.40 PKR 6,478

$19.18 ฿641

22.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.54 PKR 1,534

$5.59 ฿187

-0.89%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 PKR 987

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 PKR 1,864

Cappuccino

$2.64 PKR 730

$1.72 ฿57.6

53.49%

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

$0.32 PKR 89.6

$0.64 ฿21.54

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.7

$0.33 ฿11.18

-30.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 PKR 259

$2.05 ฿68.6

-54.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 PKR 200

$1.40 ฿46.70

-48.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 PKR 361

$1.28 ฿42.89

1.56%

Eggs

$1.22 PKR 339

$2.25 ฿75.3

-45.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.05 PKR 1,674

$16.94 ฿566

-64.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.09 PKR 855

$2.74 ฿91.6

12.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.35 PKR 1,482

$9.36 ฿313

-42.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 350

$2.40 ฿80.3

-47.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 241

$1.01 ฿33.92

-13.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 PKR 288

$1.61 ฿53.9

-35.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 146

$1.52 ฿50.7

-65.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 81.2

$1.28 ฿42.90

-77.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 PKR 99.4

$1.11 ฿37.22

-67.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 PKR 76.4

$0.72 ฿24.09

-61.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 PKR 108

$0.52 ฿17.54

-25.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.95 PKR 539

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 PKR 331

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 PKR 743

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.24 PKR 619

$4.33 ฿145

-48.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 43.07

$0.85 ฿28.31

-81.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.34 PKR 5,905

$53.9 ฿1,801

-60.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 PKR 344

$1.17 ฿39.18

5.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$0.57 ฿19.00

29.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 PKR 442

$2.37 ฿79.2

-32.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 PKR 378

$1.45 ฿48.32

-5.52%

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

$54.5K PKR 15.1M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

166.14%

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

$23.9K PKR 6.6M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-10.02%

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

$103 PKR 28.6K

$62.3 ฿2,083

65.67%

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

$5.99 PKR 1,658

$12.27 ฿410

-51.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.15 PKR 4,746

$19.97 ฿668

-14.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.20 PKR 7,806

$37.91 ฿1,267

-25.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.47 PKR 2,344

$3.76 ฿126

125.27%

Cinema Ticket

$4.43 PKR 1,226

$6.71 ฿224

-33.98%

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

$75.7 PKR 20.9K

$797 ฿26.6K

-90.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,004 PKR 1.4M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-66.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.72 PKR 7,118

$53.3 ฿1,780

-51.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.48 PKR 9,543

$25.05 ฿837

37.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 PKR 26.4K

$91.6 ฿3,062

4.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.32 PKR 11.4K

$73.5 ฿2,455

-43.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$276 PKR 76.5K

$464 ฿15.5K

-40.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 PKR 38.3K

$305 ฿10.2K

-54.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$572 PKR 158.2K

$915 ฿30.6K

-37.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 PKR 74.9K

$552 ฿18.5K

-51.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,629 PKR 450.8K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-14.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$836 PKR 231.5K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-41.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$380 PKR 105.2K

$595 ฿19.9K

-36.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.08

5.57

134.83%

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

Last update for Islamabad: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Islamabad

$139 23.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 120% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Islamabad

$126 21.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 25.2% $32

Groceries & Markets

Islamabad

$102 17%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 133% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Islamabad

$89 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 23.5% $21

Eating Out

Islamabad

$80 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 0.6% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Islamabad

$37 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 38.5% $14

Getting Around

Islamabad

$27 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 128% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $276 in Islamabad 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 57% 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 $23.00 in Islamabad versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $102 in Islamabad vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Islamabad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

00:28 12:28 AM

2 h ahead of Islamabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,009,832 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Islamabad Chiang Mai 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Islamabad
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 57% more than Islamabad, 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 $899 per month in Islamabad 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 Islamabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $75.7 per month in Islamabad and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 133% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Islamabad, where all-in costs run around $599, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Islamabad 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. Islamabad costs $599 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 Islamabad. 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.