Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nellore

For one person, living is cheaper in Nellore: $468 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Nellore
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Nellore Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nellore

🇮🇳 India

$468

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $468 in Nellore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nellore $468

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $717 in Nellore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nellore $717

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $965 in Nellore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nellore $965

Chiang Mai costs about 100% more than Nellore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Nellore are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Nellore 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.59 ₹151

40.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$9.05 ₹859

109.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.24 ₹402

30.90%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.13 ₹202

-21.60%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.31 ₹29.03

106.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.14 ₹13.41

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.59 ₹151

48.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.22 ₹211

64.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.78 ₹74.0

150.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.40 ₹38.14

260.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$0.59 ₹55.6

125.42%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.75 ₹71.3

204.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.58 ₹624

150.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.48 ₹236

12.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.66 ₹157

41.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$0.72 ₹67.9

34.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.69 ₹65.9

131.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.37 ₹34.79

305.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.34 ₹31.81

276.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.41 ₹38.58

168.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.61 ₹58.0

16.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.31 ₹29.74

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.18 ₹492

-20.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.29 ₹692

140.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.87 ₹177

-13.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.18 ₹302

-12.58%

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

$3.45 ₹327

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.20 ₹18.97

335.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.07 ₹101

8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.47 ₹44.14

12.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$2.08 ₹197

16.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.08 ₹103

34.26%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

85.01%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$20.2K ₹1.9M

33.26%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$33.06 ₹3,137

88.05%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$3.29 ₹312

269.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$6.72 ₹638

199.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$12.12 ₹1,150

207.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$1.07 ₹102

252.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.08 ₹197

212.02%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$35.25 ₹3,345

1988.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$1,406 ₹133.5K

949.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$17.82 ₹1,691

199.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$8.25 ₹783

198.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$29.28 ₹2,778

212.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$23.60 ₹2,240

204.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$223 ₹21.1K

116.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$199 ₹18.9K

55.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$432 ₹41.0K

133.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$403 ₹38.2K

57.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$697 ₹66.2K

238.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$475 ₹45.1K

234.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$679 ₹64.5K

-13.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.2

-45.39%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nellore: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nellore

$199 42.5% 35.5% $110

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nellore

$105 22.4% 55.3% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nellore

$36 7.6% 67.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nellore

$43 9.2% 54.4% $51

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nellore

$65 13.9% 15.9% $12

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nellore

$4.2 * 0.9% 93.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nellore

$16 3.5% 67.6% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $223 in Nellore. 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 15% higher in Nellore, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $9 in Nellore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $105 – making Nellore the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Nellore

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

19:59 7:59 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

547,621

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.54 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.9 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Nellore 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nellore

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 Nellore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 100% more than Nellore, 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 $702 in Nellore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nellore, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $9 in Nellore. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 124% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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