Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Peshawar and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Peshawar: $437 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Peshawar
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Peshawar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Peshawar

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$437

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $437 per month in Peshawar vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Peshawar $437
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $629 per month in Peshawar vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Peshawar $629
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $821 per month in Peshawar vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Peshawar $821
Chiang Mai $1,914

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

Both Peshawar and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Peshawar 68% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.40 PKR 663

$2.26 ฿75.4

6.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.79 PKR 2,432

$19.18 ฿641

-54.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 PKR 1,460

$5.59 ฿187

-5.55%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 607

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 PKR 814

Cappuccino

$2.61 PKR 722

$1.72 ฿57.6

51.74%

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

$0.36 PKR 98.8

$0.64 ฿21.54

-43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 PKR 55.2

$0.33 ฿11.18

-39.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 PKR 270

$2.05 ฿68.6

-52.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 PKR 212

$1.40 ฿46.70

-45.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 PKR 292

$1.28 ฿42.89

-17.97%

Eggs

$1.06 PKR 294

$2.25 ฿75.3

-52.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.51 PKR 972

$16.94 ฿566

-79.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 PKR 840

$2.74 ฿91.6

10.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.80 PKR 1,051

$9.36 ฿313

-59.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.18 PKR 327

$2.40 ฿80.3

-50.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 153

$1.01 ฿33.92

-45.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.58 PKR 161

$1.61 ฿53.9

-63.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$1.52 ฿50.7

-63.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 80.3

$1.28 ฿42.90

-77.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.33 PKR 92.4

$1.11 ฿37.22

-70.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 PKR 77.1

$0.72 ฿24.09

-61.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 PKR 75.1

$0.52 ฿17.54

-48.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.02 PKR 558

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 PKR 196

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 PKR 205

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 PKR 492

$4.33 ฿145

-58.89%

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)

$0.23 PKR 63.8

$0.85 ฿28.31

-72.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.53 PKR 3,467

$53.9 ฿1,801

-76.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 PKR 295

$1.17 ฿39.18

-9.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 PKR 190

$0.57 ฿19.00

21.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 PKR 405

$2.37 ฿79.2

-38.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 PKR 336

$1.45 ฿48.32

-16.55%

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

$22.2K PKR 6.1M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

8.26%

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

$24.0K PKR 6.6M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-9.56%

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

$100 PKR 27.8K

$62.3 ฿2,083

61.00%

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

$6.11 PKR 1,691

$12.27 ฿410

-50.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 PKR 3,935

$19.97 ฿668

-28.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.46 PKR 4,280

$37.91 ฿1,267

-59.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.15 PKR 1,701

$3.76 ฿126

63.56%

Cinema Ticket

$2.01 PKR 557

$6.71 ฿224

-70.04%

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

$46.31 PKR 12.8K

$797 ฿26.6K

-94.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,106 PKR 1.4M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-65.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$7.09 PKR 1,962

$53.3 ฿1,780

-86.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.28 PKR 4,507

$25.05 ฿837

-35.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.87 PKR 13.8K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-45.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.01 PKR 11.1K

$73.5 ฿2,455

-45.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$127 PKR 35.2K

$464 ฿15.5K

-72.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.2 PKR 21.1K

$305 ฿10.2K

-75.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$202 PKR 55.8K

$915 ฿30.6K

-77.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 PKR 32.7K

$552 ฿18.5K

-78.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$147 PKR 40.6K

$595 ฿19.9K

-75.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Peshawar: October 13, 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

Peshawar

$121 27.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 21.6% $26

Groceries & Markets

Peshawar

$83 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 186% $155

Accommodation & Living

Peshawar

$76 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 300% $229

Eating Out

Peshawar

$69 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 15.3% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Peshawar

$51 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 115% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Peshawar

$19 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 163% $32

Getting Around

Peshawar

$18 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 242% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $127 in Peshawar 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.

Salaries run about 306% 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 $9.00 in Peshawar versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $83.0 vs $238 – making Peshawar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Peshawar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

2 h ahead of Peshawar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,970,042

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 19, 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 19, 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

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

From you

Peshawar
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 115% more than Peshawar, 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 $655 per month in Peshawar 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 Peshawar, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $46.31 per month in Peshawar 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 186% 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 Peshawar, where all-in costs run around $437, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Peshawar 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. Peshawar costs $437 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 Peshawar. 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.