Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sahiwal and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Sahiwal: $498 a month against $936 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 Sahiwal
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Sahiwal Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sahiwal

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$498

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $498 per month in Sahiwal vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sahiwal $498
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $755 per month in Sahiwal vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sahiwal $755
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,013 per month in Sahiwal vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sahiwal $1,013
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

Both Sahiwal and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sahiwal 63% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.57 PKR 711

$2.24 ฿75.5

14.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.34 PKR 3,963

$19.00 ฿640

-24.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 PKR 1,568

$5.55 ฿187

2.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 PKR 989

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 PKR 1,483

Cappuccino

$2.62 PKR 724

$1.67 ฿56.4

56.89%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.64 ฿21.51

-42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 72.1

$0.31 ฿10.29

-16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 PKR 268

$1.95 ฿65.7

-50.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 PKR 201

$1.44 ฿48.41

-49.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.33 ฿44.97

-6.77%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 332

$2.28 ฿77.0

-47.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 PKR 1,768

$16.45 ฿554

-61.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.49 PKR 688

$2.78 ฿93.8

-10.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.97 PKR 1,375

$9.31 ฿314

-46.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.18 PKR 326

$2.35 ฿79.3

-49.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 PKR 192

$0.97 ฿32.75

-27.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 PKR 230

$1.60 ฿53.8

-48.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 PKR 165

$1.50 ฿50.6

-60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 86.1

$1.28 ฿43.06

-75.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 PKR 99.5

$1.10 ฿37.14

-67.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 PKR 131

$0.71 ฿23.79

-32.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 PKR 96.2

$0.49 ฿16.34

-28.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.07 PKR 295

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 PKR 166

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 PKR 476

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.13 PKR 588

$4.14 ฿140

-48.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 PKR 50.8

$0.87 ฿29.27

-79.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.05 PKR 3,056

$54.1 ฿1,823

-79.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 PKR 242

$1.16 ฿39.00

-24.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$0.53 ฿17.78

39.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 PKR 506

$2.42 ฿81.6

-24.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 PKR 371

$1.45 ฿48.82

-7.59%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

-14.86%

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

$23.7K PKR 6.6M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-11.85%

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

$125 PKR 34.6K

$62.2 ฿2,095

101.19%

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

$5.74 PKR 1,587

$12.17 ฿410

-52.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.23 PKR 4,487

$20.12 ฿678

-19.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.76 PKR 3,527

$37.31 ฿1,257

-65.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.53 PKR 2,083

$3.77 ฿127

99.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 PKR 1,217

$6.49 ฿219

-32.20%

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

$75.0 PKR 20.7K

$736 ฿24.8K

-89.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,068 PKR 571.7K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-85.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.74 PKR 4,904

$53.4 ฿1,799

-66.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.98 PKR 7,735

$24.64 ฿830

13.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 PKR 20.1K

$91.5 ฿3,083

-20.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.21 PKR 8,906

$71.9 ฿2,424

-55.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 PKR 34.6K

$482 ฿16.3K

-74.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.5 PKR 21.1K

$309 ฿10.4K

-75.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 PKR 84.9K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-69.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 PKR 49.0K

$633 ฿21.3K

-72.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$696 PKR 192.5K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-70.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$471 PKR 130.1K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-70.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.05

5.57

152.24%

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

Last update for Sahiwal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sahiwal

$147 29.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 35.8% $53

Groceries & Markets

Sahiwal

$97 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 141% $137

Accommodation & Living

Sahiwal

$77 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 304% $232

Eating Out

Sahiwal

$72 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 8.5% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Sahiwal

$68 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 60.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Sahiwal

$22 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 133% $29

Getting Around

Sahiwal

$16 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 275% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $125 in Sahiwal 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14 in Sahiwal versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $97 vs $234 – making Sahiwal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Sahiwal

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

2 h ahead of Sahiwal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

389,605

127,240

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sahiwal Chiang Mai 2,920 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sahiwal
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Sahiwal, 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 $747 per month in Sahiwal 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 Sahiwal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $125 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $75 per month in Sahiwal and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 141% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

For expats, Sahiwal is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 47% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.