Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karak and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Karak: $434 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Karak
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Karak Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Karak

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$434

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $434 per month in Karak vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Karak $434
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $636 per month in Karak vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Karak $636
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $838 per month in Karak vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Karak $838
Chiang Mai $1,903

Karak is about 53% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Karak and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Karak 68% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$0.70 PKR 193

$2.29 ฿76.5

-69.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.41 PKR 2,050

$19.64 ฿656

-62.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 PKR 1,489

$5.61 ฿188

-4.10%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 PKR 203

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.01 PKR 1,939

Cappuccino

$0.57 PKR 157

$1.66 ฿55.6

-65.66%

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

$0.36 PKR 98.5

$0.70 ฿23.40

-48.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.9

$0.31 ฿10.24

-25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 PKR 258

$1.95 ฿65.3

-52.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 PKR 145

$1.41 ฿47.03

-62.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 PKR 292

$1.31 ฿43.62

-19.85%

Eggs

$1.10 PKR 304

$2.18 ฿72.9

-49.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.78 PKR 492

$16.65 ฿556

-89.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.93 PKR 810

$2.76 ฿92.2

6.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.41 PKR 1,221

$9.11 ฿304

-51.59%

Apples (1kg)

$0.69 PKR 192

$2.39 ฿80.0

-71.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 153

$1.03 ฿34.26

-46.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.75 PKR 207

$1.63 ฿54.4

-53.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 144

$1.50 ฿50.0

-65.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 80.5

$1.29 ฿43.13

-77.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 PKR 106

$1.11 ฿37.03

-65.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.17 PKR 48.32

$0.72 ฿24.08

-76.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 PKR 65.8

$0.53 ฿17.59

-54.72%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.86 PKR 515

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 PKR 331

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 PKR 652

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 PKR 645

$4.31 ฿144

-45.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 PKR 51.7

$0.86 ฿28.86

-77.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.86 PKR 2,730

$53.3 ฿1,780

-81.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.21 ฿40.29

1.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 194

$0.57 ฿18.99

22.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 PKR 438

$2.35 ฿78.6

-32.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 PKR 381

$1.44 ฿47.96

-4.17%

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

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

5.02%

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

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-9.29%

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

$101 PKR 27.9K

$62.3 ฿2,083

61.50%

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

$6.03 PKR 1,669

$12.11 ฿405

-50.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.84 PKR 4,660

$19.94 ฿666

-15.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.67 PKR 4,061

$37.07 ฿1,239

-60.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.25 PKR 2,282

$3.78 ฿126

118.25%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 PKR 1,172

$6.50 ฿217

-34.77%

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

$76.0 PKR 21.0K

$793 ฿26.5K

-90.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,060 PKR 293.3K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-92.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.54 PKR 7,346

$53.7 ฿1,796

-50.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 PKR 9,753

$24.62 ฿823

43.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 PKR 27.0K

$90.9 ฿3,036

7.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.37 PKR 11.4K

$71.1 ฿2,378

-41.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 PKR 35.5K

$455 ฿15.2K

-71.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.1 PKR 21.3K

$298 ฿9,954

-74.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 PKR 71.3K

$908 ฿30.4K

-71.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 PKR 40.8K

$554 ฿18.5K

-73.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$922 PKR 255.1K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-52.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$486 PKR 134.5K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-66.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 Karak: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karak

$124 28.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 23.6% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Karak

$90 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 19.8% $18

Accommodation & Living

Karak

$77 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 286% $221

Groceries & Markets

Karak

$74 17%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 219% $162

Eating Out

Karak

$31 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 155% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Karak

$23 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 116% $27

Getting Around

Karak

$15 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 296% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $128 in Karak versus $455 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 $7.00 in Karak versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $74.0 vs $235 – making Karak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karak

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:12 9:12 PM

23:12 11:12 PM

2 h ahead of Karak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,149

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Karak Chiang Mai 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Karak
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 113% more than Karak, 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 $651 per month in Karak and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karak, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $76.0 per month in Karak and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 218% 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 Karak, where all-in costs run around $434, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Karak 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. Karak costs $434 versus $925 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 Karak. 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.