Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jhelum and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Jhelum: $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 Jhelum
Learn more

Jhelum Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Jhelum

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$382

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Jhelum $382
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $584 per month in Jhelum vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jhelum $584
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $785 per month in Jhelum vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jhelum $785
Chiang Mai $1,914

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.79 PKR 496

$2.26 ฿75.4

-20.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.87 PKR 3,007

$19.18 ฿641

-43.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 PKR 1,468

$5.59 ฿187

-5.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 PKR 710

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 PKR 593

Cappuccino

$1.51 PKR 418

$1.72 ฿57.6

-12.21%

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

$0.47 PKR 129

$0.64 ฿21.54

-26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 PKR 82.0

$0.33 ฿11.18

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 PKR 187

$2.05 ฿68.6

-66.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 PKR 170

$1.40 ฿46.70

-55.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 PKR 347

$1.28 ฿42.89

-2.34%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 346

$2.25 ฿75.3

-44.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.72 PKR 753

$16.94 ฿566

-83.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.38 PKR 659

$2.74 ฿91.6

-13.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.61 PKR 721

$9.36 ฿313

-72.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 PKR 307

$2.40 ฿80.3

-53.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 96.8

$1.01 ฿33.92

-65.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.62 PKR 171

$1.61 ฿53.9

-61.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 PKR 162

$1.52 ฿50.7

-61.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PKR 83.3

$1.28 ฿42.90

-76.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 96.4

$1.11 ฿37.22

-68.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 116

$0.72 ฿24.09

-41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PKR 120

$0.52 ฿17.54

-17.31%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 PKR 517

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 PKR 143

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 PKR 658

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.42 PKR 392

$4.33 ฿145

-67.21%

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)

$0.18 PKR 49.26

$0.85 ฿28.31

-78.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.15 PKR 2,534

$53.9 ฿1,801

-83.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 PKR 291

$1.17 ฿39.18

-10.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 PKR 305

$0.57 ฿19.00

92.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 PKR 781

$2.37 ฿79.2

18.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PKR 326

$1.45 ฿48.32

-18.62%

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

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

12.92%

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

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-12.92%

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

$66.5 PKR 18.4K

$62.3 ฿2,083

6.72%

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

$5.75 PKR 1,592

$12.27 ฿410

-53.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.71 PKR 4,071

$19.97 ฿668

-26.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.14 PKR 4,191

$37.91 ฿1,267

-60.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.50 PKR 2,354

$3.76 ฿126

126.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 PKR 1,956

$6.71 ฿224

5.37%

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

$26.62 PKR 7,367

$797 ฿26.6K

-96.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,986 PKR 549.7K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-86.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.84 PKR 5,214

$53.3 ฿1,780

-64.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.91 PKR 7,449

$25.05 ฿837

7.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 PKR 15.1K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-40.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.21 PKR 8,362

$73.5 ฿2,455

-58.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 PKR 31.6K

$464 ฿15.5K

-75.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$66.7 PKR 18.5K

$305 ฿10.2K

-78.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 PKR 72.9K

$915 ฿30.6K

-71.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 PKR 37.4K

$552 ฿18.5K

-75.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$956 PKR 264.7K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-49.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$551 PKR 152.5K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-61.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

5.57

112.39%

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

Last update for Jhelum: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jhelum

$87 22.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 8.7% $7.6

Groceries & Markets

Jhelum

$72 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 229% $166

Accommodation & Living

Jhelum

$67 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 357% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Jhelum

$59 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 86.7% $51

Eating Out

Jhelum

$51 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 53.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Jhelum

$29 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 75.4% $22

Getting Around

Jhelum

$16 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 273% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Jhelum 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Jhelum versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $72.0 vs $238 – making Jhelum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Jhelum

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

2 h ahead of Jhelum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,425

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 18, 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 18, 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

Jhelum Chiang Mai 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jhelum
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

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

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

Kindergarten costs $26.62 per month in Jhelum 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 229% 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 Jhelum, where all-in costs run around $382, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Jhelum 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. Jhelum 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 Jhelum. 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.