Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Janakpur and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Janakpur: $294 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Janakpur
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Janakpur Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Janakpur

🇳🇵 Nepal

$294

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $294 per month in Janakpur vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Janakpur $294
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $505 per month in Janakpur vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Janakpur $505
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $717 per month in Janakpur vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Janakpur $717
Chiang Mai $1,979

Janakpur is about 69% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Janakpur and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Janakpur 78% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.93 NPR 293

$2.24 ฿75.6

-13.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.31 NPR 1,717

$19.00 ฿641

-40.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 NPR 1,005

$5.55 ฿187

19.28%

Cappuccino

$1.50 NPR 227

$1.67 ฿56.5

-10.18%

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

$0.55 NPR 84.1

$0.64 ฿21.55

-14.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 NPR 21.10

$0.31 ฿10.31

-54.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 NPR 317

$2.36 ฿79.6

-11.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 NPR 243

$3.66 ฿124

-56.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 NPR 93.9

$1.95 ฿65.8

-68.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.32 NPR 47.88

$1.44 ฿48.48

-77.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 NPR 131

$1.33 ฿45.04

-35.34%

Eggs

$1.67 NPR 253

$2.28 ฿77.1

-26.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.26 NPR 495

$16.45 ฿555

-80.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.41 NPR 366

$2.78 ฿93.9

-13.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.93 NPR 900

$9.31 ฿314

-36.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 NPR 243

$2.35 ฿79.4

-31.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 NPR 96.4

$0.97 ฿32.80

-34.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 NPR 157

$1.60 ฿53.9

-35.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 NPR 88.3

$1.50 ฿50.6

-61.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 NPR 47.51

$1.28 ฿43.12

-75.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 NPR 75.6

$1.10 ฿37.19

-54.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.23 NPR 34.38

$0.71 ฿23.82

-67.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.14 NPR 21.62

$0.49 ฿16.37

-71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 NPR 347

$4.14 ฿140

-44.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 NPR 1,184

$17.52 ฿591

-55.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 NPR 223

$1.61 ฿54.5

-8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 NPR 291

$2.78 ฿94.0

-31.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.67 NPR 102

$1.16 ฿39.06

-42.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 NPR 176

$0.53 ฿17.80

118.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 NPR 488

$2.42 ฿81.8

33.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NPR 156

$1.45 ฿48.90

-28.97%

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

$22.8K NPR 3.5M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

8.26%

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

$26.1K NPR 4.0M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-3.18%

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

$13.30 NPR 2,019

$62.2 ฿2,098

-78.61%

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

$3.59 NPR 544

$12.17 ฿411

-70.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.91 NPR 593

$20.12 ฿679

-80.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.11 NPR 1,991

$37.31 ฿1,259

-64.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.55 NPR 994

$3.77 ฿127

73.74%

Cinema Ticket

$2.88 NPR 437

$6.49 ฿219

-55.62%

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

$32.52 NPR 4,937

$736 ฿24.8K

-95.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,563 NPR 844.6K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-62.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.78 NPR 3,609

$53.4 ฿1,801

-55.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.12 NPR 2,447

$24.64 ฿831

-34.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.05 NPR 5,928

$91.5 ฿3,087

-57.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.43 NPR 3,557

$71.9 ฿2,428

-67.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$53.3 NPR 8,093

$482 ฿16.3K

-88.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$22.79 NPR 3,460

$309 ฿10.4K

-92.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$131 NPR 19.9K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-86.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.1 NPR 15.0K

$633 ฿21.4K

-84.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$324 NPR 49.2K

$590 ฿19.9K

-45.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.98

5.57

79.17%

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

Last update for Janakpur: 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

Janakpur

$109 37.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 115% $125

Eating Out

Janakpur

$70 23.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 11.4% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Janakpur

$46 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 136% $63

Accommodation & Living

Janakpur

$23 7.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 1256% $286

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Janakpur

$21 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 354% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Janakpur

$19 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 167% $31

Getting Around

Janakpur

$6.5 * 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 850% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $53 in Janakpur 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 82% 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 $11 in Janakpur versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $109 vs $234 – making Janakpur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Janakpur

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h 15 min ahead of Janakpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,438

127,240

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.9 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NPR – Nepalese Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇵 Nepalese Rupee (रु)

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.9 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to NPR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Janakpur Chiang Mai 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Janakpur
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 218% more than Janakpur, 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 $441 per month in Janakpur 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 Janakpur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $53 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Janakpur and $19 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 the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $294 in Janakpur and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Janakpur. 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.