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

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 10% more expensive than Meru without rent, and 78.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 9.3% more expensive than Meru without rent, and 58.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Meru
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.03 ฿64.0
$5.36 KES 693
-62.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.59 ฿586
$38.28 KES 4,947
-51.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 ฿236
$6.76 KES 874
10.65%
Cappuccino
$2.00 ฿63.0
$2.35 KES 303
-14.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ฿26.72
$0.76 KES 98.3
11.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ฿11.09
$0.50 KES 65.2
-30.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 ฿69.8
$2.33 KES 302
-5.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.76 ฿118
$2.98 KES 385
26.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Meru
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 ฿54.2
$0.87 KES 112
97.70%
White Bread (500g)
$1.63 ฿51.5
$0.41 KES 52.6
297.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.16 ฿36.54
$1.11 KES 144
4.50%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿62.4
$1.44 KES 186
37.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.93 ฿502
$11.59 KES 1,498
37.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ฿99.9
$6.82 KES 881
-53.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿344
$5.07 KES 656
114.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 ฿83.4
$3.03 KES 392
-12.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿38.57
$0.73 KES 94.9
67.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.70 ฿53.5
$0.79 KES 102
115.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ฿50.2
$0.79 KES 103
101.27%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 ฿41.76
$1.03 KES 133
28.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ฿36.86
$0.99 KES 128
18.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ฿21.38
$0.24 KES 31.17
183.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿17.58
$0.45 KES 58.1
24.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.51 ฿142
$3.06 KES 395
47.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.07 ฿602
$11.47 KES 1,482
66.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿55.8
$2.22 KES 287
-20.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ฿100
$2.68 KES 346
18.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Meru
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 ฿30.37
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.90 ฿596
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ฿42.83
$1.51 KES 195
-9.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿42.65
$1.50 KES 193
-10.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.03 ฿253
$2.86 KES 370
180.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ฿39.20
$1.03 KES 133
20.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿667.5K
$21.5K KES 2.8M
-1.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿686.1K
$20.3K KES 2.6M
7.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Meru
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.2 ฿2,247
$33.85 KES 4,374
110.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.09 ฿444
$16.52 KES 2,135
-14.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.47 ฿551
$39.40 KES 5,091
-55.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Meru
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.07 ฿1,327
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.88 ฿217
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.94 ฿187
$6.06 KES 783
-1.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Meru
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$307 ฿9,694
$204 KES 26.3K
50.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿466.6K
$8,107 KES 1.0M
82.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Meru
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.7 ฿1,756
$18.06 KES 2,334
208.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.79 ฿845
$23.69 KES 3,062
13.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.2 ฿2,625
$64.3 KES 8,304
29.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.1 ฿2,211
$56.3 KES 7,271
24.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Meru
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.5K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ฿7,478
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 ฿25.3K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$503 ฿15.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,061 ฿65.0K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,533 ฿48.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Meru
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$654 ฿20.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
14.84
-66.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Meru: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities