Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kozhikode

For one person, living is cheaper in Kozhikode: $429 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Kozhikode
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Kozhikode Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kozhikode

🇮🇳 India

$429

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Kozhikode actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $429 in Kozhikode, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kozhikode $429

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $666 in Kozhikode, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kozhikode $666

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $903 in Kozhikode, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kozhikode $903

Chiang Mai costs about 118% more than Kozhikode, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kozhikode are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kozhikode 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.53 ₹146

46.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$9.48 ₹900

100.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.20 ₹304

73.44%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.37 ₹130

21.90%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.37 ₹34.69

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.12 ₹10.94

158.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.44 ₹136

63.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.89 ₹179

93.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.61 ₹57.6

219.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.45 ₹42.87

220.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.54 ₹51.7

146.30%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.80 ₹76.3

185.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$3.63 ₹344

353.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.57 ₹339

-22.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.05 ₹195

14.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.60 ₹56.9

61.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.88 ₹83.5

81.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.50 ₹47.61

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.34 ₹32.55

276.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.39 ₹36.55

182.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.64 ₹60.9

10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.25 ₹23.70

96.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.98 ₹473

-16.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.24 ₹497

234.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.99 ₹189

-19.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.11 ₹200

31.75%

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

$3.52 ₹334

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.09 ₹9.02

866.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$5.82 ₹552

829.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.81 ₹76.8

43.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.49 ₹46.79

8.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.15 ₹204

12.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.09 ₹103

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$11.0K ₹1.0M

90.93%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$19.7K ₹1.9M

36.63%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$54.8 ₹5,203

13.45%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.01 ₹285

304.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$6.18 ₹587

225.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$19.42 ₹1,844

92.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.28 ₹596

-39.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.71 ₹257

139.48%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$44.63 ₹4,237

1549.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$509 ₹48.3K

2800.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$27.91 ₹2,650

91.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$27.46 ₹2,607

-10.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$72.2 ₹6,857

26.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$36.38 ₹3,454

97.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$156 ₹14.8K

209.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$109 ₹10.3K

184.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$407 ₹38.7K

147.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$242 ₹22.9K

162.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$875 ₹83.1K

170.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$624 ₹59.3K

154.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$290 ₹27.5K

103.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.37

-40.55%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kozhikode: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kozhikode

$109 25.4% 64.8% $200

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kozhikode

$97 22.5% 58.8% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kozhikode

$74 17.2% 32.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kozhikode

$64 14.9% 32.3% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kozhikode

$51 12% 34% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kozhikode

$9.5 2.2% 84.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kozhikode

$25 5.8% 50.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $156 in Kozhikode. 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 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $9 in Kozhikode. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $97 – making Kozhikode the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Kozhikode

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

10:31 10:31 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

550,440

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 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 = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Kozhikode

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 Kozhikode: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 118% more than Kozhikode, 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 $643 in Kozhikode. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kozhikode, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $156 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $45 in Kozhikode. 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 the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $429 in Kozhikode, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kozhikode – 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 Kozhikode. 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.