Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cherthala and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Cherthala: $290 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Cherthala
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Cherthala Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cherthala

🇮🇳 India

$290

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $290 per month in Cherthala vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cherthala $290
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $472 per month in Cherthala vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cherthala $472
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $654 per month in Cherthala vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cherthala $654
Chiang Mai $1,999

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

Both Cherthala and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Cherthala 79% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$0.76 ₹72.4

$2.13 ฿72.0

-64.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$6.19 ₹586

$18.62 ฿628

-66.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.31 ₹219

$5.60 ฿189

-58.75%

Cappuccino

$1.03 ₹97.5

$1.66 ฿56.1

-37.95%

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

$0.33 ₹31.50

$0.65 ฿21.82

-49.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 ₹11.79

$0.30 ฿10.29

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ₹138

$2.32 ฿78.3

-37.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ₹179

$3.67 ฿124

-48.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.60 ₹57.0

$2.02 ฿68.0

-70.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.36 ₹33.75

$1.41 ฿47.49

-74.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.51 ₹48.29

$1.39 ฿46.94

-63.31%

Eggs

$0.85 ₹80.8

$2.37 ฿79.9

-64.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.77 ₹357

$16.52 ฿557

-77.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 ₹218

$2.67 ฿90.1

-13.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 ₹203

$2.40 ฿80.9

-10.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.50 ₹47.81

$1.04 ฿35.12

-51.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 ₹83.5

$1.66 ฿56.0

-46.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.43

$1.56 ฿52.6

-69.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹32.67

$1.24 ฿41.75

-72.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.42

$1.09 ฿36.65

-65.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 ₹38.58

$0.76 ฿25.70

-46.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₹25.79

$0.51 ฿17.34

-47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.93 ₹182

$4.12 ฿139

-53.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$1.86 ₹176

$17.93 ฿605

-89.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 ₹101

$1.62 ฿54.8

-34.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₹147

$2.82 ฿95.2

-45.04%

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

$3.48 ₹330

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₹19.90

$0.93 ฿31.52

-77.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.93 ₹657

$52.9 ฿1,784

-86.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 ₹81.7

$1.18 ฿39.69

-27.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 ₹46.01

$0.17 ฿5.78

188.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ₹153

$1.81 ฿61.1

-10.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹103

$1.47 ฿49.67

-25.85%

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

$11.3K ₹1.1M

$21.0K ฿708.7K

-46.22%

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

$19.7K ₹1.9M

$26.5K ฿894.4K

-25.67%

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

$20.89 ₹1,979

$62.6 ฿2,110

-66.61%

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

$3.06 ₹290

$11.60 ฿391

-73.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.32 ₹409

$20.30 ฿685

-78.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.33 ₹978

$37.88 ฿1,278

-72.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.94 ₹562

$3.70 ฿125

60.54%

Cinema Ticket

$1.62 ₹154

$6.51 ฿220

-75.12%

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

$45.84 ₹4,343

$727 ฿24.5K

-93.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$515 ₹48.8K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-96.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$7.53 ₹713

$53.5 ฿1,806

-85.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.31 ₹787

$24.80 ฿836

-66.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 ₹6,720

$90.4 ฿3,049

-21.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$14.44 ₹1,368

$72.0 ฿2,428

-79.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$122 ₹11.5K

$481 ฿16.2K

-74.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.8 ₹7,280

$310 ฿10.5K

-75.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.0K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-75.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ₹18.0K

$659 ฿22.2K

-71.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$919 ₹87.1K

$2,418 ฿81.5K

-61.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$540 ₹51.2K

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-66.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$232 ₹22.0K

$595 ฿20.1K

-60.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.37

5.57

68.22%

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

Last update for Cherthala: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cherthala

$77 26.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 303% $233

Groceries & Markets

Cherthala

$76 26.3%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 210% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Cherthala

$46 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 138% $63

Eating Out

Cherthala

$38 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 100% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cherthala

$28 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 234% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cherthala

$14 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 275% $37

Getting Around

Cherthala

$11 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 430% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $122 in Cherthala 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 in Chiang Mai are about 2.6 times higher, 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 $6 in Cherthala versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $76 vs $237 – making Cherthala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Cherthala

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

12:23 12:23 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Cherthala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,827

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 9.44 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cherthala Chiang Mai 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cherthala
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 223% more than Cherthala, 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 $435 per month in Cherthala 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 Cherthala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $122 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $6 in Cherthala and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $290 in Cherthala and $935 in Chiang Mai. That makes Cherthala about 69% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Cherthala, where all-in costs run around $290, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Cherthala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cherthala – 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 Cherthala. 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.