Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Merida Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Merida

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 20% cheaper than Merida without rent, and 20.7% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 12.9% cheaper than Merida without rent, and 4.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Merida
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.01 ฿64.4
$9.94 VES 4,785
-79.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.23 ฿583
$45.05 VES 21.7K
-59.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.65 ฿244
$10.13 VES 4,873
-24.48%
Cappuccino
$1.92 ฿61.3
$1.64 VES 787
17.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 ฿26.90
$1.19 VES 574
-29.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ฿11.39
$0.77 VES 369
-53.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 ฿70.0
$1.14 VES 549
92.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿121
$1.48 VES 714
156.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Merida
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ฿52.4
$2.20 VES 1,061
-25.45%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 ฿51.8
$2.41 VES 1,160
-32.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.15 ฿36.88
$1.59 VES 767
-27.67%
Eggs
$1.94 ฿62.0
$2.09 VES 1,004
-7.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 ฿510
$5.55 VES 2,669
187.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.10 ฿99.2
$6.53 VES 3,144
-52.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.07 ฿354
$7.24 VES 3,485
52.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.71 ฿86.5
$5.17 VES 2,489
-47.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 ฿37.69
$1.07 VES 515
10.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 ฿54.5
$1.66 VES 800
3.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.3
$1.05 VES 505
53.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.39 ฿44.53
$0.93 VES 446
49.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 ฿36.70
$1.24 VES 597
-7.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿22.76
$1.24 VES 597
-42.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿17.60
$1.81 VES 872
-69.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.57 ฿146
$3.97 VES 1,910
15.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.87 ฿603
$10.91 VES 5,250
72.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿58.2
$1.13 VES 543
61.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 ฿103
$1.33 VES 640
141.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Merida
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ฿28.16
$0.27 VES 130
225.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.89 ฿604
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.41 ฿45.17
$4.02 VES 1,933
-64.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 ฿41.59
$2.54 VES 1,221
-48.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 ฿262
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 ฿39.18
$0.49 VES 234
151.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿677.0K
$45.8K VES 22.0M
-53.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ฿713.3K
$37.6K VES 18.1M
-40.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Merida
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$69.9 ฿2,234
$13.04 VES 6,275
435.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.07 ฿450
$9.99 VES 4,805
40.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.70 ฿566
$37.32 VES 18.0K
-52.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Merida
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.41 ฿1,324
$24.50 VES 11.8K
69.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.69 ฿214
$15.04 VES 7,240
-55.52%
Cinema Ticket
$5.74 ฿184
$6.84 VES 3,294
-16.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Merida
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$299 ฿9,566
$57.1 VES 27.5K
424.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.0K ฿479.8K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Merida
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 ฿1,753
$91.6 VES 44.1K
-40.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.35 ฿842
$40.55 VES 19.5K
-35.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.7 ฿2,706
$87.8 VES 42.2K
-3.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.7 ฿2,229
$65.7 VES 31.6K
6.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Merida
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.6K
$118 VES 56.8K
261.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$241 ฿7,697
$89.9 VES 43.3K
167.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$811 ฿25.9K
$206 VES 99.1K
293.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$498 ฿15.9K
$190 VES 91.4K
162.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,022 ฿64.7K
$1,187 VES 571.3K
70.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,524 ฿48.7K
$1,177 VES 566.2K
29.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Merida
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$639 ฿20.4K
$294 VES 141.7K
117.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
0
-

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

Last update for Merida: April 11, 2026

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

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