Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawalpindi: $498 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$498

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $498 per month in Rawalpindi vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rawalpindi $498
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $784 per month in Rawalpindi vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rawalpindi $784
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,070 per month in Rawalpindi vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rawalpindi $1,070
Chiang Mai $1,914

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 PKR 565

$2.26 ฿75.4

-9.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.20 PKR 4,484

$19.18 ฿641

-15.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 PKR 1,602

$5.59 ฿187

3.58%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 492

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 PKR 962

Cappuccino

$1.94 PKR 537

$1.72 ฿57.6

12.79%

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

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.64 ฿21.54

-31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 PKR 63.3

$0.33 ฿11.18

-30.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 PKR 249

$2.05 ฿68.6

-56.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 162

$1.40 ฿46.70

-57.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 337

$1.28 ฿42.89

-4.69%

Eggs

$1.14 PKR 316

$2.25 ฿75.3

-49.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 PKR 1,765

$16.94 ฿566

-62.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 PKR 935

$2.74 ฿91.6

23.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.22 PKR 1,446

$9.36 ฿313

-44.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 PKR 316

$2.40 ฿80.3

-52.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 PKR 245

$1.01 ฿33.92

-11.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 PKR 337

$1.61 ฿53.9

-24.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.52 ฿50.7

-63.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 PKR 97.7

$1.28 ฿42.90

-72.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 PKR 127

$1.11 ฿37.22

-58.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 PKR 91.5

$0.72 ฿24.09

-54.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 PKR 117

$0.52 ฿17.54

-19.23%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.44 PKR 4,551

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 PKR 335

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 677

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 PKR 548

$4.33 ฿145

-54.27%

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)

$0.17 PKR 46.63

$0.85 ฿28.31

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.08 PKR 2,791

$53.9 ฿1,801

-81.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 PKR 244

$1.17 ฿39.18

-24.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 PKR 95.8

$0.57 ฿19.00

-38.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 PKR 856

$2.37 ฿79.2

30.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 PKR 341

$1.45 ฿48.32

-15.17%

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

$18.7K PKR 5.2M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-8.60%

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

$24.5K PKR 6.8M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-7.59%

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

$115 PKR 31.8K

$62.3 ฿2,083

84.07%

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

$5.74 PKR 1,590

$12.27 ฿410

-53.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.80 PKR 5,204

$19.97 ฿668

-5.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.17 PKR 3,369

$37.91 ฿1,267

-67.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.40 PKR 2,048

$3.76 ฿126

96.81%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 PKR 1,211

$6.71 ฿224

-34.72%

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

$49.65 PKR 13.7K

$797 ฿26.6K

-93.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,044 PKR 288.9K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-92.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.65 PKR 4,886

$53.3 ฿1,780

-66.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 PKR 8,862

$25.05 ฿837

27.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 PKR 25.9K

$91.6 ฿3,062

1.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.64 PKR 9,863

$73.5 ฿2,455

-51.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 PKR 56.5K

$464 ฿15.5K

-55.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$81.6 PKR 22.6K

$305 ฿10.2K

-73.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 PKR 115.6K

$915 ฿30.6K

-54.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 PKR 61.5K

$552 ฿18.5K

-59.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,197 PKR 331.2K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-37.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$451 PKR 124.8K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-68.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$173 PKR 47.8K

$595 ฿19.9K

-71.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

5.57

309.52%

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

Last update for Rawalpindi: 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

Rawalpindi

$139 28%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 32.1% $45

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$103 20.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 131% $135

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$82 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 273% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$80 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 36.2% $29

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$60 12%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 32.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 145% $30

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 359% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $204 in Rawalpindi 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 245% 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 $16.00 in Rawalpindi versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $238 – making Rawalpindi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

13:04 1:04 PM

2 h ahead of Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

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

Rawalpindi Chiang Mai 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rawalpindi
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Rawalpindi, 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 $748 per month in Rawalpindi 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 Rawalpindi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $49.65 per month in Rawalpindi 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 131% 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 Rawalpindi, where all-in costs run around $498, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Rawalpindi 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. Rawalpindi costs $498 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 Rawalpindi. 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.