Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Patna and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Patna: $368 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Patna, India
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Patna
🇮🇳 India
$368
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $368 per month in Patna vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Patna $368
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $605 per month in Patna vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Patna $605
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $842 per month in Patna vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Patna $842
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Patna is about 61% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Patna and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Patna 73% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Patna
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.04 ₹194
$2.24 ฿75.7
-8.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$9.33 ₹889
$19.00 ฿642
-50.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.06 ₹291
$5.55 ฿188
-44.86%
Cappuccino
$1.65 ₹157
$1.67 ฿56.6
-1.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ₹33.79
$0.64 ฿21.56
-45.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 ₹16.25
$0.31 ฿10.32
-45.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.90 ₹181
$2.36 ฿79.6
-19.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.00 ₹572
$3.66 ฿124
63.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Patna
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.60 ₹57.4
$1.95 ฿65.8
-69.23%
White Bread (500g)
$0.43 ₹41.03
$1.44 ฿48.51
-70.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.53 ₹50.2
$1.33 ฿45.07
-60.15%
Eggs
$0.95 ₹90.6
$2.28 ฿77.1
-58.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.73 ₹641
$16.45 ฿556
-59.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.17 ₹206
$2.78 ฿94.0
-21.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$9.31 ฿314
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.35 ₹129
$2.35 ฿79.5
-42.55%
Banana (1kg)
$0.68 ₹64.8
$0.97 ฿32.82
-29.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.05 ₹100.0
$1.60 ฿53.9
-34.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.45 ₹42.78
$1.50 ฿50.7
-70.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.33 ₹31.27
$1.28 ฿43.15
-74.22%
Onion (1kg)
$0.49 ₹46.78
$1.10 ฿37.22
-55.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 ₹41.81
$0.71 ฿23.84
-38.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.29 ₹27.64
$0.49 ฿16.38
-40.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.10 ₹486
$4.14 ฿140
23.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.32 ₹602
$17.52 ฿592
-63.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₹151
$1.61 ฿54.5
-1.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 ₹198
$2.78 ฿94.0
-25.18%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.63 ₹631
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Patna
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.33 ₹31.50
$0.87 ฿29.33
-62.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$4.82 ₹459
$54.1 ฿1,827
-91.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₹122
$1.16 ฿39.08
10.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.16 ₹15.17
$0.53 ฿17.82
-69.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.12 ₹202
$2.42 ฿81.8
-12.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ₹104
$1.45 ฿48.93
-24.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.1K ₹1.1M
$21.1K ฿711.2K
-47.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.0K ₹2.6M
$26.9K ฿909.8K
0.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Patna
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.79 ₹4,264
$62.2 ฿2,100
-27.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$2.94 ₹279
$12.17 ฿411
-75.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.46 ₹615
$20.12 ฿680
-67.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Patna
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.52 ₹2,049
$37.31 ฿1,260
-42.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.17 ₹1,159
$3.77 ฿127
222.81%
Cinema Ticket
$3.38 ₹322
$6.49 ฿219
-47.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Patna
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$54.5 ₹5,191
$736 ฿24.9K
-92.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,713 ₹163.1K
$14.8K ฿498.6K
-88.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Patna
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.86 ₹2,272
$53.4 ฿1,802
-55.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.25 ₹2,785
$24.64 ฿832
18.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$37.98 ₹3,616
$91.5 ฿3,089
-58.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$34.04 ₹3,241
$71.9 ฿2,429
-52.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Patna
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$82.0 ₹7,804
$482 ฿16.3K
-83.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$56.1 ₹5,343
$309 ฿10.4K
-81.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$280 ₹26.6K
$1,006 ฿34.0K
-72.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$184 ₹17.6K
$633 ฿21.4K
-70.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,195 ₹113.8K
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-49.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$564 ₹53.7K
$1,589 ฿53.7K
-64.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Patna
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$342 ₹32.5K
$590 ฿19.9K
-42.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.46
5.57
69.84%

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

Last update for Patna: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Patna
$97
Chiang Mai
$234 143% $138
Eating Out
Patna
$69
Chiang Mai
$78 12.6% $8.7
Clothing & Footwear
Patna
$56
Chiang Mai
$109 92.9% $52
Accommodation & Living
Patna
$56
Chiang Mai
$309 451% $253
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Patna
$54
Chiang Mai
$94 74.3% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Patna
$28
Chiang Mai
$50 77.8% $22
Getting Around
Patna
$8.2
Chiang Mai
$61 647% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $82 in Patna 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 73% 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 $9 in Patna versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $96 vs $234 – making Patna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Patna
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
04:31 4:31 AM
06:01 6:01 AM
1 h 30 min ahead of Patna
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
500,000
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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Patna Chiang Mai 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Patna
  • 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
Patna vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Patna or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 154% more than Patna, 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 Patna and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $553 per month in Patna and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Patna or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Patna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $82 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Patna and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $55 per month in Patna and $736 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 Patna or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 143% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Patna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Patna or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Patna. 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.

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