Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mardan and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Mardan: $502 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Mardan
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Mardan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mardan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$502

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $502 per month in Mardan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mardan $502
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $788 per month in Mardan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mardan $788
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,074 per month in Mardan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mardan $1,074
Chiang Mai $1,979

Mardan is about 46% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mardan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mardan 63% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.53 PKR 978

$2.24 ฿75.6

57.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.47 PKR 6,495

$19.00 ฿641

23.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 PKR 1,504

$5.55 ฿187

-1.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 PKR 1,013

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 PKR 1,872

Cappuccino

$2.55 PKR 705

$1.67 ฿56.5

52.69%

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

$0.34 PKR 94.7

$0.64 ฿21.54

-46.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.9

$0.31 ฿10.31

-25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 250

$1.95 ฿65.7

-53.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 PKR 216

$1.44 ฿48.46

-45.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 PKR 358

$1.33 ฿45.03

-3.01%

Eggs

$1.22 PKR 337

$2.28 ฿77.1

-46.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.93 PKR 811

$16.45 ฿555

-82.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 PKR 878

$2.78 ฿93.9

14.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.72 PKR 1,029

$9.31 ฿314

-60.04%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 240

$2.35 ฿79.4

-62.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 PKR 203

$0.97 ฿32.79

-24.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 PKR 286

$1.60 ฿53.9

-35.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 96.5

$1.50 ฿50.6

-76.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 PKR 74.2

$1.28 ฿43.11

-78.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 PKR 106

$1.10 ฿37.18

-65.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 PKR 77.2

$0.71 ฿23.82

-60.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 PKR 96.0

$0.49 ฿16.36

-28.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.79 PKR 496

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 333

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 PKR 642

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 PKR 508

$4.14 ฿140

-55.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 54.5

$0.87 ฿29.30

-77.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.72 PKR 2,966

$54.1 ฿1,825

-80.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 PKR 352

$1.16 ฿39.04

9.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 PKR 190

$0.53 ฿17.80

30.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 PKR 442

$2.42 ฿81.7

-33.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 PKR 292

$1.45 ฿48.88

-27.59%

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

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

3.39%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-12.51%

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

$104 PKR 28.7K

$62.2 ฿2,098

66.64%

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

$6.02 PKR 1,666

$12.17 ฿411

-50.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.99 PKR 4,701

$20.12 ฿679

-15.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.89 PKR 3,566

$37.31 ฿1,259

-65.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.04 PKR 2,223

$3.77 ฿127

113.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 PKR 1,353

$6.49 ฿219

-24.65%

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

$42.07 PKR 11.6K

$736 ฿24.8K

-94.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,058 PKR 292.8K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-92.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.98 PKR 7,188

$53.4 ฿1,801

-51.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.63 PKR 9,583

$24.64 ฿831

40.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 PKR 26.7K

$91.5 ฿3,087

5.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.12 PKR 11.1K

$71.9 ฿2,427

-44.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$134 PKR 37.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

-72.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.0 PKR 23.8K

$309 ฿10.4K

-72.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 PKR 73.1K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-73.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 PKR 50.3K

$633 ฿21.4K

-71.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$865 PKR 239.3K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-63.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$578 PKR 159.9K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-63.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Mardan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mardan

$127 25.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 25.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Mardan

$89 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 22.5% $20

Accommodation & Living

Mardan

$86 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 259% $223

Groceries & Markets

Mardan

$84 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 179% $150

Eating Out

Mardan

$77 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 0.2% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Mardan

$23 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 122% $28

Getting Around

Mardan

$16 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 278% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $134 in Mardan 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Mardan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $84 in Mardan vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Mardan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Mardan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

19:02 7:02 PM

2 h ahead of Mardan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

358,604

127,240

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mardan Chiang Mai 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mardan
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Mardan, 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 $753 per month in Mardan 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 Mardan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $134 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $42 per month in Mardan 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 179% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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