Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Varkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
Learn more

Varkala Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $383 in Varkala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Varkala $383

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $608 in Varkala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Varkala $608

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $833 in Varkala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Varkala $833

Chiang Mai costs about 145% more than Varkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Varkala are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Varkala 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$2.28 ₹216

-6.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$10.35 ₹978

79.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$3.45 ₹326

62.32%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.57 ₹149

5.73%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$0.37 ₹35.19

75.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.18 ₹16.55

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$1.76 ₹166

31.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.13 ₹295

17.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$0.71 ₹67.4

184.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$0.45 ₹42.46

213.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$0.66 ₹62.2

110.61%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$0.89 ₹84.2

166.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$4.87 ₹460

239.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$2.99 ₹282

-10.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$2.05 ₹194

17.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$0.74 ₹70.1

40.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$0.98 ₹92.6

69.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$0.54 ₹50.8

188.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$0.38 ₹35.97

226.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$0.43 ₹40.23

153.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$0.45 ₹42.20

68.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.32 ₹30.08

59.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.89 ₹367

5.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$7.48 ₹706

139.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.69 ₹160

-4.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$2.76 ₹261

2.17%

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

$5.59 ₹528

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.28 ₹26.35

232.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$8.77 ₹829

503.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$0.83 ₹78.4

42.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$0.25 ₹23.36

-32.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$1.43 ₹135

26.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.16 ₹110

26.72%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$13.8K ₹1.3M

52.26%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$22.2K ₹2.1M

19.20%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$38.26 ₹3,614

63.51%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$3.52 ₹332

229.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$7.13 ₹673

184.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$15.61 ₹1,475

142.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$7.10 ₹671

-47.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$2.85 ₹269

128.42%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$51.9 ₹4,905

1300.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$1,542 ₹145.7K

974.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$24.46 ₹2,311

118.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$24.88 ₹2,351

-0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$41.84 ₹3,953

116.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$30.94 ₹2,922

132.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$123 ₹11.6K

290.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$75.4 ₹7,127

310.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$274 ₹25.8K

286.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$179 ₹16.9K

267.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$1,051 ₹99.3K

129.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$599 ₹56.6K

168.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.67

-35.76%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Varkala: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Varkala

$75 19.7% 75.7% $234

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Varkala

$105 27.5% 55.5% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Varkala

$55 14.4% 49.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Varkala

$49 12.8% 48.2% $46

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Varkala

$65 16.9% 15.4% $12

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Varkala

$12 3.1% 79.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Varkala

$21 5.6% 58.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $123 in Varkala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $10 in Varkala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $105 – making Varkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Varkala

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

12:32 12:32 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

50,000

💱 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 = 37.54 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Varkala 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Varkala

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 Varkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 145% more than Varkala, 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 $574 in Varkala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varkala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $123 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $52 in Varkala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 125% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $383 in Varkala, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Varkala costs $383 versus $935 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Varkala is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 59% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.