Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mohali and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Mohali: $431 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Mohali
🇮🇳 India
$431
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$925
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $431 per month in Mohali vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Mohali $431
  • Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $714 per month in Mohali vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Mohali $714
  • Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $997 per month in Mohali vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Mohali $997
  • Chiang Mai $1,903

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mohali
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.12 ₹296
$2.29 ฿76.5
36.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$13.67 ₹1,298
$19.64 ฿656
-30.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.83 ₹364
$5.61 ฿188
-31.73%
Cappuccino
$2.28 ₹217
$1.66 ฿55.6
37.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 ₹35.85
$0.70 ฿23.40
-45.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.20 ₹18.60
$0.31 ฿10.24
-35.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.14 ₹204
$2.41 ฿80.4
-11.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ₹302
$3.71 ฿124
-14.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mohali
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.73 ₹69.4
$1.95 ฿65.3
-62.56%
White Bread (500g)
$0.55 ₹52.4
$1.41 ฿47.03
-60.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.78 ₹73.9
$1.31 ฿43.62
-40.46%
Eggs
$0.99 ₹93.8
$2.18 ฿72.9
-54.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.51 ₹428
$16.65 ฿556
-72.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.45 ₹327
$2.76 ฿92.2
25.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$9.11 ฿304
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.94 ₹184
$2.39 ฿80.0
-18.83%
Banana (1kg)
$0.79 ₹75.0
$1.03 ฿34.26
-23.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.08 ₹103
$1.63 ฿54.4
-33.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.67 ₹63.4
$1.50 ฿50.0
-55.33%
Potato (1kg)
$0.28 ₹26.31
$1.29 ฿43.13
-78.29%
Onion (1kg)
$0.40 ₹38.31
$1.11 ฿37.03
-63.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.65 ₹61.3
$0.72 ฿24.08
-9.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.32 ₹30.51
$0.53 ฿17.59
-39.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.91 ₹467
$4.31 ฿144
13.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.47 ₹804
$17.95 ฿600
-52.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 ₹160
$1.58 ฿52.9
6.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ₹263
$2.84 ฿95.0
-2.46%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.26 ₹595
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Mohali
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.54 ₹51.4
$0.86 ฿28.86
-37.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$5.14 ₹488
$53.3 ฿1,780
-90.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.07 ₹101
$1.21 ฿40.29
-11.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ₹25.91
$0.57 ฿18.99
-52.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 ₹146
$2.35 ฿78.6
-34.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 ₹102
$1.44 ฿47.96
-25.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.1K ₹1.1M
$20.7K ฿692.8K
-46.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.7K ₹2.0M
$26.8K ฿895.7K
-22.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mohali
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.84 ₹3,973
$62.3 ฿2,083
-32.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.93 ₹373
$12.11 ฿405
-67.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.62 ₹629
$19.94 ฿666
-66.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mohali
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.56 ₹2,712
$37.07 ฿1,239
-22.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.84 ₹1,979
$3.78 ฿126
451.32%
Cinema Ticket
$3.11 ₹295
$6.50 ฿217
-52.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mohali
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$58.3 ₹5,538
$793 ฿26.5K
-92.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,230 ₹211.7K
$14.8K ฿494.9K
-84.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mohali
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.34 ₹2,312
$53.7 ฿1,796
-54.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.68 ₹2,724
$24.62 ฿823
16.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$57.6 ₹5,466
$90.9 ฿3,036
-36.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$43.87 ₹4,166
$71.1 ฿2,378
-38.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mohali
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$123 ₹11.7K
$455 ฿15.2K
-72.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$69.2 ₹6,572
$298 ฿9,954
-76.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$335 ₹31.8K
$908 ฿30.4K
-63.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$204 ₹19.3K
$554 ฿18.5K
-63.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$809 ₹76.8K
$1,931 ฿64.5K
-58.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$429 ₹40.8K
$1,445 ฿48.3K
-70.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mohali
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$452 ₹42.9K
$591 ฿19.7K
-23.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.33
5.57
49.55%

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

Last update for Mohali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Mohali
$112
Chiang Mai
$235 111% $124
Eating Out
Mohali
$83
Chiang Mai
$79 5.5% $4.6
Clothing & Footwear
Mohali
$70
Chiang Mai
$108 55.6% $39
Accommodation & Living
Mohali
$69
Chiang Mai
$298 330% $229
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mohali
$52
Chiang Mai
$94 80.1% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Mohali
$35
Chiang Mai
$50 44% $15
Getting Around
Mohali
$9.7
Chiang Mai
$61 524% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $123 in Mohali 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.

Salaries run about 31% 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 $14.00 in Mohali versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $112 vs $235 – making Mohali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Mohali
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
04:21 4:21 AM
05:51 5:51 AM
1 h 30 min ahead of Mohali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
146,213
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mohali Chiang Mai 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Mohali
  • 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
Mohali vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mohali or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 115% more than Mohali, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mohali and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $646 per month in Mohali and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Mohali or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mohali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Mohali and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $58.3 per month in Mohali and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Mohali or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 111% 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.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Mohali or in Chiang Mai?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mohali, where all-in costs run around $431, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Mohali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Mohali or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mohali costs $431 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Mohali compared to Chiang Mai?
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.
Should I move to Mohali or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Mohali. 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.

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