Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Meerut

For one person, living is cheaper in Meerut: $379 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Meerut
Learn more

Meerut Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Meerut

🇮🇳 India

$379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $379 in Meerut, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Meerut $379

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $586 in Meerut, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Meerut $586

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $793 in Meerut, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Meerut $793

Chiang Mai costs about 147% more than Meerut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Meerut are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Meerut 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.3

$3.05 ₹290

-25.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$10.48 ₹995

83.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$2.64 ₹251

111.74%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.94 ₹184

-11.34%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.35 ₹33.57

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.17

$0.16 ₹15.17

106.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.54 ₹146

53.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$1.69 ₹161

130.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.58 ₹55.3

253.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.68

$0.46 ₹43.44

204.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.87

$0.59 ₹56.5

116.95%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.2

$0.90 ₹85.0

150.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$3.51 ₹334

382.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$1.94 ₹184

41.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$1.25 ₹119

92.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.90

$0.69 ₹65.7

46.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.58 ₹54.7

177.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.48 ₹45.81

216.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.87

$0.28 ₹26.31

357.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.20

$0.37 ₹34.71

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.38 ₹36.35

89.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.53

$0.27 ₹25.44

92.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$4.73 ₹449

-8.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿592

$10.18 ₹967

74.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.34 ₹127

21.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.96 ₹186

45.41%

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

$2.86 ₹272

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.29

$0.32 ₹30.84

165.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,800

$6.09 ₹578

785.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.15

$0.51 ₹48.31

129.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.22 ₹20.92

159.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.1

$1.07 ₹102

121.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.29

$1.08 ₹103

34.26%

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

$20.5K ฿683.9K

$8,222 ₹780.7K

149.04%

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

$26.5K ฿885.5K

$12.7K ₹1.2M

108.67%

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

$62.3 ฿2,082

$36.48 ₹3,464

70.86%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$3.04 ₹289

303.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿667

$5.32 ₹505

275.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,266

$10.36 ₹984

265.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿125

$12.12 ₹1,151

-68.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$3.75 ₹356

78.93%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$31.41 ₹2,983

2437.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.4K

$1,259 ₹119.6K

1077.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,779

$24.95 ₹2,369

113.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$23.69 ₹2,249

5.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,060

$39.15 ₹3,717

134.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,454

$39.51 ₹3,752

85.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$150 ₹14.3K

209.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$92.7 ₹8,800

228.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$708 ₹67.2K

29.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.4K

$177 ₹16.8K

212.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$648 ₹61.5K

195.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.0K

$235 ₹22.4K

510.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$462 ₹43.9K

28.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.73

-36.20%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Meerut: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Meerut

$93 24.4% 69.6% $212

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Meerut

$89 23.5% 62.6% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Meerut

$57 15.1% 47.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Meerut

$45 11.8% 52.6% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Meerut

$69 18.1% 13.1% $10

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Meerut

$9 2.4% 85.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Meerut

$18 4.7% 65.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $150 in Meerut. 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 29% 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $10.00 in Meerut. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $89.0 – making Meerut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Meerut

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

05:53 5:53 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

500,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.35 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.4 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Meerut 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Meerut

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 Meerut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 147% more than Meerut, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $569 in Meerut. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Meerut, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $31.41 in Meerut. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 167% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Meerut, where all-in costs run around $379, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Meerut 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. Meerut costs $379 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 Meerut. 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.