Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Morena

For one person, living is cheaper in Morena: $315 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Morena
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Morena Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Morena

🇮🇳 India

$315

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $315 in Morena, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Morena $315

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $503 in Morena, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Morena $503

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $690 in Morena, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Morena $690

Chiang Mai costs about 197% more than Morena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Morena are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Morena 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$3.26 ₹308

-34.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$16.82 ₹1,589

10.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$1.56 ₹147

258.97%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$0.40 ₹37.73

315.00%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$0.22 ₹20.80

195.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.15 ₹14.47

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$2.60 ₹246

-10.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.09 ₹292

18.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$0.63 ₹59.9

220.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$0.46 ₹43.72

206.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$0.55 ₹52.2

152.73%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.32 ₹125

79.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$5.21 ₹492

217.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$3.78 ₹357

-29.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$1.46 ₹138

64.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$0.40 ₹38.00

160.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$0.54 ₹51.4

207.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$0.42 ₹39.26

271.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$0.32 ₹29.98

287.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$0.25 ₹23.41

336.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$0.33 ₹31.62

130.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.29 ₹27.50

75.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.15 ₹203

91.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$10.71 ₹1,011

67.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.26 ₹213

-28.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$3.20 ₹302

-11.88%

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

$6.91 ₹653

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.43 ₹40.67

116.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$1.94 ₹183

2626.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$0.55 ₹51.7

114.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$0.27 ₹25.59

-37.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$1.08 ₹102

67.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.09 ₹103

34.86%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$11.9K ₹1.1M

76.88%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$23.8K ₹2.2M

11.37%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$42.01 ₹3,968

48.92%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$4.85 ₹458

139.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$7.84 ₹740

158.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$7.02 ₹663

439.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$3.21 ₹303

102.80%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$34.52 ₹3,261

2006.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$625 ₹59.0K

2551.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$30.48 ₹2,880

75.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$27.61 ₹2,608

-10.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$53.2 ₹5,026

69.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$50.5 ₹4,774

42.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$262 ₹24.8K

126.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.76

-36.42%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Morena: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Morena

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Morena

$112 35.7% 52.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Morena

$73 23.1% 32.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Morena

$55 17.4% 42.1% $40

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Morena

$56 17.8% 26.6% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Morena

$5.6 1.8% 90.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Morena

$13 4.3% 73.6% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.3 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 $17 in Morena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $112 – making Morena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Morena

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

17:56 5:56 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

200,482

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Morena 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Morena

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 Morena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 197% more than Morena, 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 $473 in Morena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $35 in Morena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 111% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $315 in Morena to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Morena. 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.