Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varanasi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $293 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$293

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $293 per month in Varanasi vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varanasi $293
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $483 per month in Varanasi vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varanasi $483
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $672 per month in Varanasi vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varanasi $672
Chiang Mai $1,999

Varanasi is about 69% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Varanasi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Varanasi 78% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ₹179

$2.13 ฿72.0

-11.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.02 ₹760

$18.62 ฿628

-56.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.21 ₹304

$5.60 ฿189

-42.68%

Cappuccino

$1.65 ₹156

$1.66 ฿56.1

-0.60%

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

$0.41 ₹38.77

$0.65 ฿21.82

-36.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.11

$0.30 ฿10.29

-63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 ₹153

$2.32 ฿78.3

-30.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₹201

$3.67 ฿124

-42.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.66 ₹62.7

$2.02 ฿68.0

-67.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.29 ₹27.25

$1.41 ฿47.49

-79.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.54 ₹50.7

$1.39 ฿46.94

-61.15%

Eggs

$0.83 ₹78.6

$2.37 ฿79.9

-64.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.28 ₹310

$16.52 ฿557

-80.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.13 ₹202

$2.67 ฿90.1

-20.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 ₹135

$2.40 ฿80.9

-40.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.3

$1.04 ฿35.12

-37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 ₹84.5

$1.66 ฿56.0

-46.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 ₹32.74

$1.56 ฿52.6

-77.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ₹24.69

$1.24 ฿41.75

-79.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.24 ₹22.73

$1.09 ฿36.65

-77.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ₹43.31

$0.76 ฿25.70

-39.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.59

$0.51 ฿17.34

-45.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 ₹303

$4.12 ฿139

-22.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.83 ₹553

$17.93 ฿605

-67.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₹153

$1.62 ฿54.8

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₹187

$2.82 ฿95.2

-29.79%

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

$4.24 ₹402

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 ₹52.5

$0.93 ฿31.52

-40.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.71 ₹920

$52.9 ฿1,784

-81.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.24 ₹22.72

$1.18 ฿39.69

-79.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.12 ₹10.98

$0.17 ฿5.78

-29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₹98.8

$1.81 ฿61.1

-42.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹99.9

$1.47 ฿49.67

-28.57%

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

$11.3K ₹1.1M

$21.0K ฿708.7K

-46.37%

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

$22.2K ₹2.1M

$26.5K ฿894.4K

-16.24%

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

$12.68 ₹1,202

$62.6 ฿2,110

-79.73%

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

$3.63 ₹344

$11.60 ฿391

-68.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.84 ₹648

$20.30 ฿685

-66.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.72 ₹1,205

$37.88 ฿1,278

-66.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 ₹275

$6.51 ฿220

-55.30%

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

$38.77 ₹3,673

$727 ฿24.5K

-94.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,088 ₹103.1K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-93.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.62 ₹2,238

$53.5 ฿1,806

-55.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.11 ₹2,379

$24.80 ฿836

1.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.81 ₹3,676

$90.4 ฿3,049

-57.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.32 ₹2,398

$72.0 ฿2,428

-64.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 ₹10.8K

$481 ฿16.2K

-76.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.99 ₹4,452

$310 ฿10.5K

-84.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$200 ₹18.9K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-81.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 ₹13.3K

$659 ฿22.2K

-78.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$560 ₹53.0K

$2,418 ฿81.5K

-76.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$340 ₹32.2K

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-78.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$575 ₹54.4K

$595 ฿20.1K

-3.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.53

5.57

53.14%

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

Last update for Varanasi: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varanasi

$82 28%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 189% $155

Eating Out

Varanasi

$59 20.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 29.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Varanasi

$51 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 113% $58

Accommodation & Living

Varanasi

$47 16%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 560% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varanasi

$23 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 308% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Varanasi

$19 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 175% $32

Getting Around

Varanasi

$13 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 360% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Varanasi 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 4% 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 $8 in Varanasi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $82 vs $237 – making Varanasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

17:30 5:30 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Varanasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,100,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 94.73 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varanasi Chiang Mai 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Varanasi
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 219% more than Varanasi, 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 $440 per month in Varanasi 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 Varanasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $114 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $39 per month in Varanasi 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 189% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $293 in Varanasi and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

If budget matters most, go with Varanasi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.