Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Merida, Venezuela

Name: Merida
Address: Merida, VE

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $814 in Merida, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Merida $814

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,415 in Merida, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Merida $1,415

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,015 in Merida, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Merida $2,015

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Merida are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Merida 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$12.12 VES 10.8K

-82.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$58.9 VES 52.6K

-68.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$11.14 VES 9,947

-49.73%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.44 VES 2,180

-31.97%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$2.14 VES 1,906

-69.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$1.31 VES 1,167

-77.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$2.04 VES 1,819

13.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.96 VES 2,647

23.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$2.05 VES 1,826

-1.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$3.26 VES 2,906

-56.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$1.92 VES 1,716

-27.60%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$2.50 VES 2,236

-5.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$6.78 VES 6,049

143.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$7.84 VES 7,001

-65.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$7.60 VES 6,786

18.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$5.02 VES 4,484

-52.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$1.40 VES 1,249

-25.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$2.80 VES 2,502

-40.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$2.27 VES 2,027

-31.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$2.06 VES 1,840

-39.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$1.31 VES 1,171

-16.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$1.50 VES 1,337

-49.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$2.53 VES 2,254

-79.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.71 VES 3,313

11.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$10.91 VES 9,743

64.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.40 VES 1,250

15.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$2.20 VES 1,967

28.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.31 VES 281

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$4.11 VES 3,670

-71.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$1.52 VES 1,361

-88.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$5.93 VES 5,290

-69.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$0.73 VES 652

101.37%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$44.6K VES 39.8M

-52.89%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$49.2K VES 43.9M

-46.12%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$12.43 VES 11.1K

403.30%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$10.35 VES 9,235

12.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$30.13 VES 26.9K

-32.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$29.77 VES 26.6K

27.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$15.15 VES 13.5K

-75.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$4.96 VES 4,429

31.25%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$87.0 VES 77.7K

735.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$2,440 VES 2.2M

579.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$74.6 VES 66.6K

-28.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$42.01 VES 37.5K

-40.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$98.5 VES 88.0K

-8.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$96.3 VES 86.0K

-25.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$136 VES 121.1K

254.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$91.5 VES 81.7K

238.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$222 VES 198.1K

376.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$192 VES 171.5K

242.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$1,192 VES 1.1M

102.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$1,216 VES 1.1M

32.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$286 VES 255.3K

108.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-77.72%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Merida: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Merida

$91 11.2% 70.5% $218

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Merida

$287 35.3% 21.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Merida

$140 17.2% 29.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Merida

$53 6.5% 44% $42

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Merida

$190 23.3% 148% $113

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Merida

$13 * 1.6% 77.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Merida

$40 4.9% 22% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $136 in Merida. 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 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $59 in Merida. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $287 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇻🇪 Merida

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

03:43 3:43 AM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

250,303

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 VES = 11.2 USD

10,000 VES = 9.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 893 VES (1,000 VES = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 1,003 VES (10,000 VES = 9.97 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Merida 16,790 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Merida, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,221 in Merida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $59 in Merida. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $814 in Merida. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

If budget matters most, go with Merida. 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.