Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pokhara and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Pokhara: $495 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Pokhara
Learn more

Pokhara Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Pokhara

🇳🇵 Nepal

$495

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $495 per month in Pokhara vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pokhara $495
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $758 per month in Pokhara vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pokhara $758
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,021 per month in Pokhara vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pokhara $1,021
Chiang Mai $1,914

Pokhara is about 47% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Pokhara and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Pokhara 63% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.56 NPR 389

$2.26 ฿75.4

13.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.29 NPR 2,019

$19.18 ฿641

-30.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.67 NPR 1,014

$5.59 ฿187

19.32%

Cappuccino

$1.08 NPR 165

$1.72 ฿57.6

-37.21%

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

$0.51 NPR 77.9

$0.64 ฿21.54

-20.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 NPR 23.58

$0.33 ฿11.18

-51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 NPR 387

$2.36 ฿78.7

8.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 NPR 542

$3.90 ฿130

-8.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 NPR 124

$2.05 ฿68.6

-60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 NPR 102

$1.40 ฿46.70

-52.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 NPR 100

$1.28 ฿42.89

-48.44%

Eggs

$1.79 NPR 273

$2.25 ฿75.3

-20.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.74 NPR 872

$16.94 ฿566

-66.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.09 NPR 470

$2.74 ฿91.6

12.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.66 NPR 860

$9.36 ฿313

-39.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 NPR 383

$2.40 ฿80.3

5.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 NPR 190

$1.01 ฿33.92

23.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 NPR 181

$1.61 ฿53.9

-26.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 NPR 99.5

$1.52 ฿50.7

-57.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 NPR 62.1

$1.28 ฿42.90

-67.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 NPR 131

$1.11 ฿37.22

-22.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 NPR 60.6

$0.72 ฿24.09

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 NPR 44.57

$0.52 ฿17.54

-44.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 NPR 392

$4.33 ฿145

-40.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 NPR 1,662

$17.73 ฿593

-38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 NPR 364

$1.63 ฿54.4

47.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 NPR 574

$2.85 ฿95.3

32.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 NPR 30.36

$0.85 ฿28.31

-76.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.35 NPR 2,940

$53.9 ฿1,801

-64.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 NPR 241

$1.17 ฿39.18

35.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 NPR 115

$0.57 ฿19.00

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 NPR 394

$2.37 ฿79.2

9.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 NPR 179

$1.45 ฿48.32

-18.62%

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

$32.5K NPR 4.9M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

58.90%

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

$34.9K NPR 5.3M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

31.49%

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

$64.4 NPR 9,782

$62.3 ฿2,083

3.29%

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

$5.20 NPR 790

$12.27 ฿410

-57.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.95 NPR 1,056

$19.97 ฿668

-65.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.67 NPR 2,989

$37.91 ฿1,267

-48.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.40 NPR 1,276

$3.76 ฿126

123.40%

Cinema Ticket

$2.48 NPR 377

$6.71 ฿224

-63.04%

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

$48.45 NPR 7,362

$797 ฿26.6K

-93.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,976 NPR 300.2K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-86.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.79 NPR 2,854

$53.3 ฿1,780

-64.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.53 NPR 5,550

$25.05 ฿837

45.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.20 NPR 5,348

$91.6 ฿3,062

-61.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.88 NPR 4,692

$73.5 ฿2,455

-57.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 NPR 19.4K

$464 ฿15.5K

-72.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.9 NPR 13.1K

$305 ฿10.2K

-71.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$240 NPR 36.4K

$915 ฿30.6K

-73.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$161 NPR 24.5K

$552 ฿18.5K

-70.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,801 NPR 273.6K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-5.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$603 NPR 91.6K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-58.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$180 NPR 27.4K

$595 ฿19.9K

-69.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

5.57

124.42%

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

Last update for Pokhara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pokhara

$152 30.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 56.6% $86

Accommodation & Living

Pokhara

$86 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 255% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pokhara

$77 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 23.6% $18

Eating Out

Pokhara

$76 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 4% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Pokhara

$55 11%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 101% $55

Getting Around

Pokhara

$26 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 140% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Pokhara

$25 5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 108% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $128 in Pokhara 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 230% 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 $13.00 in Pokhara versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $152 vs $238 – making Pokhara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Pokhara

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

22:33 10:33 PM

1 h 15 min ahead of Pokhara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NPR – Nepalese Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇵 Nepalese Rupee (रु)

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD). 1 EUR = 171 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.85 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 NPR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pokhara Chiang Mai 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pokhara
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 89% more than Pokhara, 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 $743 per month in Pokhara 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 Pokhara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $48.45 per month in Pokhara 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 57% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pokhara, where all-in costs run around $495, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Pokhara 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. Pokhara costs $495 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 Pokhara. 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.