Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratlam and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratlam: $316 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Ratlam
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Ratlam Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ratlam

🇮🇳 India

$316

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $316 per month in Ratlam vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ratlam $316
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $463 per month in Ratlam vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ratlam $463
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $610 per month in Ratlam vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ratlam $610
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ratlam is about 66% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ratlam and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ratlam 77% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.16 ₹206

$2.24 ฿75.7

-3.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$6.14 ₹584

$19.00 ฿642

-67.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.60 ₹248

$5.55 ฿188

-53.15%

Cappuccino

$1.54 ₹146

$1.67 ฿56.6

-7.78%

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

$0.35 ₹32.95

$0.64 ฿21.56

-45.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.46

$0.31 ฿10.32

-54.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 ₹188

$2.36 ฿79.6

-16.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ₹297

$3.66 ฿124

-14.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.60 ₹57.1

$1.95 ฿65.8

-69.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 ₹38.92

$1.44 ฿48.51

-71.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.4

$1.33 ฿45.07

-51.13%

Eggs

$0.83 ₹79.4

$2.28 ฿77.1

-63.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.04 ₹480

$16.45 ฿556

-69.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.06 ₹196

$2.78 ฿94.0

-25.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ₹199

$2.35 ฿79.5

-11.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.39 ₹37.07

$0.97 ฿32.82

-59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 ₹98.2

$1.60 ฿53.9

-35.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.40 ₹38.49

$1.50 ฿50.7

-73.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.16 ₹14.92

$1.28 ฿43.15

-87.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.20 ₹18.99

$1.10 ฿37.22

-81.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 ₹20.95

$0.71 ฿23.84

-69.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₹31.66

$0.49 ฿16.38

-32.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 ₹255

$4.14 ฿140

-35.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 ₹740

$17.52 ฿592

-55.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₹152

$1.61 ฿54.5

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 ₹245

$2.78 ฿94.0

-7.19%

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

$5.48 ₹521

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.71 ₹67.5

$1.16 ฿39.08

-38.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.18 ₹17.20

$0.53 ฿17.82

-66.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₹127

$2.42 ฿81.8

-44.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹104

$1.45 ฿48.93

-24.83%

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

$20.9K ₹2.0M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-0.65%

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

$23.2K ₹2.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-13.96%

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

$26.04 ₹2,476

$62.2 ฿2,100

-58.11%

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

$4.09 ₹389

$12.17 ฿411

-66.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.27 ₹501

$20.12 ฿680

-73.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$5.40 ₹514

$37.31 ฿1,260

-85.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$3.10 ₹295

$6.49 ฿219

-52.23%

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

$65.7 ₹6,250

$736 ฿24.9K

-91.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$994 ₹94.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-93.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$7.27 ₹691

$53.4 ฿1,802

-86.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.54 ₹812

$24.64 ฿832

-65.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.82 ₹1,505

$91.5 ฿3,089

-82.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.47 ₹2,517

$71.9 ฿2,429

-63.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 ₹11.9K

$482 ฿16.3K

-74.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.0 ₹8,088

$309 ฿10.4K

-72.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₹14.8K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-84.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$134 ₹12.7K

$633 ฿21.4K

-78.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,303 ₹219.1K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-2.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$675 ₹64.2K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-57.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$389 ₹37.0K

$590 ฿19.9K

-34.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.73

5.57

56.73%

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

Last update for Ratlam: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ratlam

$95 30%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 147% $140

Accommodation & Living

Ratlam

$85 26.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 263% $224

Eating Out

Ratlam

$62 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 25.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratlam

$35 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 167% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Ratlam

$26 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 315% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Ratlam

$12 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 333% $39

Getting Around

Ratlam

$1.6 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 3711% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $125 in Ratlam 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 52% 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 $6 in Ratlam versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $95 vs $234 – making Ratlam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Ratlam

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

11:01 11:01 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Ratlam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 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 = 37.65 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ratlam Chiang Mai 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ratlam
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 196% more than Ratlam, 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 $474 per month in Ratlam 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 Ratlam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $125 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $6 in Ratlam and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 147% 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $316 in Ratlam and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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 Ratlam. 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.