Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Malappuram

For one person, living is cheaper in Malappuram: $289 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
14

Cost of Living Index in Malappuram
Learn more

Malappuram Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Malappuram

🇮🇳 India

$289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $289 in Malappuram, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Malappuram $289

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $451 in Malappuram, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Malappuram $451

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $613 in Malappuram, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Malappuram $613

Chiang Mai costs about 224% more than Malappuram, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.17 ₹111

91.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$7.44 ₹706

155.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.15 ₹299

76.19%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.80 ₹171

-7.22%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.35 ₹33.43

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.15 ₹13.95

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.31 ₹124

80.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.05 ₹195

78.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.52 ₹49.73

275.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.46 ₹43.95

213.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.45 ₹42.44

195.56%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.80 ₹75.9

185.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.81 ₹551

183.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.51 ₹239

10.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.68 ₹160

39.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.57 ₹54.3

70.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.84 ₹79.4

90.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.29 ₹27.40

417.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.39 ₹36.70

228.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.35 ₹32.79

214.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.78 ₹73.7

-8.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.31 ₹29.73

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.52 ₹429

-8.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$1.75 ₹166

901.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.55 ₹147

3.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.00 ₹475

-44.40%

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

$3.27 ₹311

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.18 ₹17.02

383.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$4.36 ₹414

1140.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.40 ₹37.68

190.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.24 ₹22.83

120.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$0.50 ₹47.84

384.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.11 ₹106

30.63%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$10.4K ₹991.3K

101.68%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$15.7K ₹1.5M

71.90%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$21.58 ₹2,049

188.09%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$2.60 ₹247

368.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$7.05 ₹669

185.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$7.02 ₹667

431.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$4.25 ₹404

-11.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$1.77 ₹168

266.67%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$28.36 ₹2,692

2495.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$831 ₹78.9K

1677.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$16.17 ₹1,535

230.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$18.78 ₹1,783

31.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$23.04 ₹2,187

297.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$13.78 ₹1,309

422.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$103 ₹9,791

367.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$63.3 ₹6,013

387.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$176 ₹16.7K

473.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$128 ₹12.2K

394.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$6,340 ₹601.9K

-62.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$371 ₹35.2K

328.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$218 ₹20.7K

170.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Malappuram: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Malappuram

$63 21.9% 79.5% $246

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Malappuram

$91 31.7% 61% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Malappuram

$32 11.2% 70.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Malappuram

$31 10.8% 66.9% $63

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Malappuram

$53 18.4% 31.6% $25

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Malappuram

$6.7 2.3% 89.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Malappuram

$11 3.7% 79% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $103 in Malappuram. 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 2.7 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 $7 in Malappuram. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $91 – making Malappuram the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Malappuram

🕒 Local time

15:50 3:50 PM

14:20 2:20 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

101,330

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Malappuram 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Malappuram

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 Malappuram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 224% more than Malappuram, 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 $433 in Malappuram. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malappuram, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $103 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $28 in Malappuram. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 156% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Malappuram – 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 Malappuram. 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.