Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solan and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Solan: $366 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Solan
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Solan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Solan

🇮🇳 India

$366

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $366 per month in Solan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Solan $366
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $590 per month in Solan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Solan $590
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $815 per month in Solan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Solan $815
Chiang Mai $1,979

Solan is about 61% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.30 ₹124

$2.24 ฿75.7

-41.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.48 ₹1,474

$19.00 ฿642

-18.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.18 ₹303

$5.55 ฿188

-42.70%

Cappuccino

$1.98 ₹189

$1.67 ฿56.6

18.56%

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

$0.34 ₹31.94

$0.64 ฿21.56

-46.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 ₹11.64

$0.31 ฿10.32

-61.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 ₹197

$2.36 ฿79.6

-12.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₹243

$3.66 ฿124

-30.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.44 ₹41.69

$1.95 ฿65.8

-77.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.8

$1.44 ฿48.51

-63.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.85

$1.33 ฿45.07

-69.17%

Eggs

$0.74 ₹70.3

$2.28 ฿77.1

-67.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.30 ₹505

$16.45 ฿556

-67.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.33 ₹222

$2.78 ฿94.0

-16.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₹177

$2.35 ฿79.5

-20.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 ₹75.8

$0.97 ฿32.82

-17.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.52 ₹49.14

$1.60 ฿53.9

-67.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.91

$1.50 ฿50.7

-67.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 ₹31.81

$1.28 ฿43.15

-74.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 ₹41.65

$1.10 ฿37.22

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ₹56.6

$0.71 ฿23.84

-16.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.07

$0.49 ฿16.38

-36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₹272

$4.14 ฿140

-30.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.22 ₹687

$17.52 ฿592

-58.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ₹158

$1.61 ฿54.5

3.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₹252

$2.78 ฿94.0

-4.68%

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

$5.50 ₹524

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₹19.93

$0.87 ฿29.33

-75.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.93 ₹755

$54.1 ฿1,827

-85.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹97.7

$1.16 ฿39.08

-11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.94

$0.53 ฿17.82

-49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ₹202

$2.42 ฿81.8

-12.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₹97.4

$1.45 ฿48.93

-29.66%

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

$11.3K ₹1.1M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-46.11%

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

$24.5K ₹2.3M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-8.96%

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

$38.76 ₹3,690

$62.2 ฿2,100

-37.65%

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

$2.67 ₹255

$12.17 ฿411

-78.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.47 ₹711

$20.12 ฿680

-62.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.05 ₹1,338

$37.31 ฿1,260

-62.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.43 ₹612

$3.77 ฿127

70.56%

Cinema Ticket

$2.05 ₹196

$6.49 ฿219

-68.41%

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

$46.15 ₹4,395

$736 ฿24.9K

-93.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,730 ₹164.7K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-88.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.61 ₹1,963

$53.4 ฿1,802

-61.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ₹2,346

$24.64 ฿832

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.59 ₹4,436

$91.5 ฿3,089

-49.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.47 ₹2,521

$71.9 ฿2,429

-63.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$106 ₹10.0K

$482 ฿16.3K

-78.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.9 ₹7,324

$309 ฿10.4K

-75.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 ₹27.5K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-71.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ₹17.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

-71.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$897 ₹85.4K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-62.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$519 ₹49.4K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-67.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.12

5.57

63.73%

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

Last update for Solan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Solan

$96 26.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 143% $138

Accommodation & Living

Solan

$77 21%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 302% $232

Eating Out

Solan

$61 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 27.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Solan

$53 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 104% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solan

$49 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 93.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Solan

$18 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 177% $32

Getting Around

Solan

$11 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 450% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $106 in Solan 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 $15 in Solan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $96 vs $234 – making Solan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Solan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Solan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,256

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 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 = 95.22 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Solan Chiang Mai 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Solan
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 156% more than Solan, 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 $549 per month in Solan 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 Solan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $106 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $46 per month in Solan 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 143% 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.

Families tend to lean toward Solan – 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.

For expats, Solan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 156% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.