Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Blair and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Blair: $370 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Port Blair
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Port Blair Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Port Blair

🇮🇳 India

$370

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $370 per month in Port Blair vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Blair $370
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $592 per month in Port Blair vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Blair $592
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $814 per month in Port Blair vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Blair $814
Chiang Mai $1,999

Port Blair is about 60% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 ₹195

$2.13 ฿71.8

-3.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.61 ₹1,004

$18.62 ฿626

-43.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.76 ₹356

$5.60 ฿188

-32.86%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ₹157

$1.66 ฿55.9

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

$0.38 ₹35.63

$0.65 ฿21.75

-41.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ₹14.91

$0.30 ฿10.25

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₹169

$2.32 ฿78.1

-23.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 ₹280

$3.67 ฿123

-19.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 ₹59.2

$2.02 ฿67.8

-68.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 ₹44.88

$1.41 ฿47.34

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ₹63.7

$1.39 ฿46.79

-51.80%

Eggs

$0.92 ₹87.4

$2.37 ฿79.6

-61.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.44 ₹420

$16.52 ฿555

-73.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.89 ₹273

$2.67 ฿89.8

8.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₹183

$2.40 ฿80.6

-19.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 ₹63.5

$1.04 ฿35.01

-35.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ₹86.7

$1.66 ฿55.8

-44.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.46 ₹43.25

$1.56 ฿52.4

-70.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.32 ₹30.62

$1.24 ฿41.61

-74.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ₹35.50

$1.09 ฿36.53

-65.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.57

$0.76 ฿25.61

-38.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.04

$0.51 ฿17.29

-43.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₹490

$4.12 ฿139

25.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 ₹681

$17.93 ฿603

-59.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₹151

$1.62 ฿54.6

-1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₹255

$2.82 ฿94.9

-4.61%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.96 ₹469

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₹21.78

$0.93 ฿31.42

-75.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.92 ₹655

$52.9 ฿1,778

-86.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 ₹81.1

$1.18 ฿39.56

-27.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.68

$0.17 ฿5.76

58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ₹147

$1.81 ฿60.9

-13.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₹106

$1.47 ฿49.51

-23.81%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

-46.54%

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

$19.6K ₹1.9M

$26.5K ฿891.4K

-25.91%

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

$34.91 ₹3,304

$62.6 ฿2,103

-44.20%

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

$3.39 ₹321

$11.60 ฿390

-70.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.72 ₹636

$20.30 ฿683

-66.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.26 ₹1,350

$37.88 ฿1,274

-62.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.55 ₹620

$3.70 ฿124

77.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.03 ₹382

$6.51 ฿219

-38.10%

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

$46.80 ₹4,429

$727 ฿24.4K

-93.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,452 ₹137.4K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-91.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.58 ₹2,042

$53.5 ฿1,800

-59.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.89 ₹2,261

$24.80 ฿834

-3.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.38 ₹3,632

$90.4 ฿3,039

-57.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.52 ₹2,700

$72.0 ฿2,420

-60.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$85.7 ₹8,107

$481 ฿16.2K

-82.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.8 ₹7,363

$310 ฿10.4K

-74.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 ₹25.6K

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-74.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 ₹17.8K

$659 ฿22.1K

-71.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$926 ₹87.7K

$2,418 ฿81.3K

-61.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$542 ₹51.3K

$1,609 ฿54.1K

-66.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$628 ₹59.5K

$595 ฿20.0K

5.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.86

5.57

59.07%

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

Last update for Port Blair: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Port Blair

$100 26.9%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 138% $137

Accommodation & Living

Port Blair

$78 21%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 298% $232

Eating Out

Port Blair

$65 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 18.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Port Blair

$51 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 114% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Blair

$45 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 110% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Port Blair

$22 6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 128% $29

Getting Around

Port Blair

$10 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 484% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $86 in Port Blair versus $481 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 6% higher in Port Blair, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Port Blair versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $100 vs $237 – making Port Blair the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Port Blair

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

11:33 11:33 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Port Blair

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,500

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.57 USD

1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 94.64 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Port Blair Chiang Mai 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Port Blair
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

Port Blair vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 153% more than Port Blair, 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 $555 per month in Port Blair 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 Port Blair, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $86 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $47 per month in Port Blair and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 138% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Port Blair is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 60% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.