Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kochi

For one person, living is cheaper in Kochi: $412 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Kochi
Learn more

Kochi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kochi

🇮🇳 India

$412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Kochi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Kochi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $412 in Kochi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kochi $412

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $626 in Kochi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kochi $626

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $840 in Kochi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kochi $840

Chiang Mai costs about 127% more than Kochi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kochi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kochi 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.62 ₹154

38.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$8.34 ₹792

127.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.71 ₹352

49.60%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.35 ₹128

23.70%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.42 ₹40.00

52.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.15 ₹14.04

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.62 ₹154

45.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.05 ₹195

78.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.60 ₹57.4

225.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.50 ₹47.05

188.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.57 ₹54.5

133.33%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.99 ₹94.2

130.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.00 ₹665

135.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.69 ₹350

-24.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.32 ₹220

1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.69 ₹65.4

40.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.07 ₹101

49.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.52 ₹48.91

188.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.40 ₹37.84

220.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.48 ₹45.17

129.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.53 ₹49.86

33.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.29 ₹27.23

68.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.11 ₹485

-18.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.09 ₹768

116.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.66 ₹158

-3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.43 ₹231

14.40%

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

$5.03 ₹477

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.20 ₹18.94

335.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$6.28 ₹597

761.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.75 ₹71.4

54.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.31 ₹29.43

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.30 ₹123

86.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.09 ₹104

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

85.75%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$18.0K ₹1.7M

50.05%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$32.93 ₹3,126

88.79%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.35 ₹318

263.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$6.98 ₹663

188.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$16.79 ₹1,594

122.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$9.25 ₹879

-59.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$1.94 ₹184

234.54%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$55.4 ₹5,259

1228.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$1,859 ₹176.5K

694.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$25.95 ₹2,464

105.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$17.73 ₹1,683

38.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$36.07 ₹3,425

153.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$26.66 ₹2,531

169.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$191 ₹18.1K

153.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$120 ₹11.4K

157.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$452 ₹42.9K

122.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$217 ₹20.6K

191.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,125 ₹106.8K

110.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$676 ₹64.2K

134.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$421 ₹40.0K

40.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.6

-35.23%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kochi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kochi

$120 29.1% 61.1% $189

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kochi

$116 28.2% 50.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kochi

$48 11.6% 55.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kochi

$43 10.5% 54.2% $51

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kochi

$55 13.3% 29.3% $23

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kochi

$9.4 2.3% 84.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kochi

$21 5% 58.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $191 in Kochi. 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 40% 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $8 in Kochi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $116 – making Kochi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Kochi

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

18:39 6:39 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

677,381

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kochi 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kochi

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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 127% more than Kochi, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $618 in Kochi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kochi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $191 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $55 in Kochi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 102% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Kochi. 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.