Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waling and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Waling: $325 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

16

Cost of Living Index in Waling
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Waling Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Waling

🇳🇵 Nepal

$325

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $325 per month in Waling vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Waling $325
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $532 per month in Waling vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Waling $532
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $739 per month in Waling vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Waling $739
Chiang Mai $1,914

Waling is about 65% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Waling and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Waling 76% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.01 NPR 305

$2.26 ฿75.4

-11.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.99 NPR 3,038

$19.18 ฿641

4.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 NPR 1,212

$5.59 ฿187

42.75%

Cappuccino

$1.54 NPR 234

$1.72 ฿57.6

-10.47%

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

$0.54 NPR 81.3

$0.64 ฿21.54

-15.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 NPR 23.24

$0.33 ฿11.18

-54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 NPR 476

$2.36 ฿78.7

33.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 NPR 484

$3.90 ฿130

-18.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 NPR 115

$2.05 ฿68.6

-62.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 NPR 67.3

$1.40 ฿46.70

-68.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 NPR 131

$1.28 ฿42.89

-32.81%

Eggs

$1.33 NPR 202

$2.25 ฿75.3

-40.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 NPR 1,014

$16.94 ฿566

-60.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.69 NPR 408

$2.74 ฿91.6

-1.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.18 NPR 483

$9.36 ฿313

-66.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 NPR 301

$2.40 ฿80.3

-17.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 NPR 114

$1.01 ฿33.92

-25.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 NPR 204

$1.61 ฿53.9

-16.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 NPR 80.9

$1.52 ฿50.7

-65.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 NPR 52.4

$1.28 ฿42.90

-72.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 NPR 57.7

$1.11 ฿37.22

-65.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 NPR 73.6

$0.72 ฿24.09

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 NPR 28.35

$0.52 ฿17.54

-63.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 NPR 373

$4.33 ฿145

-43.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.25 NPR 797

$17.73 ฿593

-70.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 NPR 336

$1.63 ฿54.4

35.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 NPR 443

$2.85 ฿95.3

2.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 NPR 275

$1.17 ฿39.18

54.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 NPR 181

$0.57 ฿19.00

108.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 NPR 488

$2.37 ฿79.2

35.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 NPR 212

$1.45 ฿48.32

-4.14%

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

$29.1K NPR 4.4M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

42.11%

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

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

37.12%

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

$31.49 NPR 4,784

$62.3 ฿2,083

-49.48%

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

$3.42 NPR 520

$12.27 ฿410

-72.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.30 NPR 1,413

$19.97 ฿668

-53.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$2.89 NPR 439

$6.71 ฿224

-56.93%

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

$67.2 NPR 10.2K

$797 ฿26.6K

-91.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,498 NPR 835.3K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-62.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.08 NPR 3,811

$53.3 ฿1,780

-52.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.13 NPR 4,122

$25.05 ฿837

8.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.4 NPR 9,625

$91.6 ฿3,062

-30.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.38 NPR 4,312

$73.5 ฿2,455

-61.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,051 NPR 159.8K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-45.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,240 NPR 188.5K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-13.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.72

5.57

74.51%

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

Last update for Waling: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Waling

$120 36.8%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 99% $118

Eating Out

Waling

$83 25.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 5.1% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Waling

$65 19.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 69.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waling

$44 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 114% $50

Getting Around

Waling

$7.8 * 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 690% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Waling

$5.8 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 790% $46

Accommodation & Living

Waling

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Waling versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $120 in Waling vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Waling wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Waling

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:29 9:29 AM

10:44 10:44 AM

1 h 15 min ahead of Waling

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,867

127,240

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NPR – Nepalese Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇵 Nepalese Rupee (रु)

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD). 1 EUR = 171 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NPR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Waling Chiang Mai 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Waling
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 188% more than Waling, 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 $488 per month in Waling and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Waling and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 99% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Waling, where all-in costs run around $325, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Waling 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. Waling costs $325 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 Waling. 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.