Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Vellore

For one person, living is cheaper in Vellore: $259 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
12

Cost of Living Index in Vellore
Learn more

Vellore Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Vellore

🇮🇳 India

$259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $259 in Vellore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Vellore $259

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $450 in Vellore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Vellore $450

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $640 in Vellore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Vellore $640

Chiang Mai costs about 261% more than Vellore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Vellore are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Vellore 81% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.26 ₹119

77.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$7.09 ₹674

167.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.20 ₹209

152.27%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.05 ₹195

-18.54%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.35 ₹33.62

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.11 ₹10.82

181.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.62 ₹154

45.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.07 ₹291

19.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.52 ₹49.65

275.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.55 ₹52.1

161.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.61 ₹57.5

118.03%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.78 ₹74.2

192.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$1.93 ₹183

752.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.34 ₹222

18.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.54 ₹146

52.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.71 ₹67.0

36.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.85 ₹80.4

88.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.27 ₹25.45

455.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.32 ₹30.75

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.39 ₹37.41

182.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.30 ₹28.24

136.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.28 ₹26.71

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.55 ₹147

167.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$3.88 ₹368

351.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.64 ₹156

-1.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.47 ₹235

12.55%

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

$5.06 ₹481

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.24 ₹22.85

262.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$4.89 ₹464

1006.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.44 ₹42.00

163.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.30 ₹28.71

76.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.05 ₹100

130.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.06 ₹101

36.79%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$10.2K ₹965.1K

107.17%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$15.0K ₹1.4M

79.76%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$30.66 ₹2,911

102.77%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.98 ₹377

205.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$4.04 ₹384

398.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$8.39 ₹796

344.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$4.94 ₹469

-23.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.31 ₹220

180.95%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$48.46 ₹4,601

1419.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$1,435 ₹136.2K

929.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$8.52 ₹809

526.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$19.39 ₹1,841

27.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$21.63 ₹2,054

322.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$25.38 ₹2,410

183.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$57.8 ₹5,488

734.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$30.91 ₹2,934

899.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$171 ₹16.3K

486.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$161 ₹15.3K

293.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,117 ₹106.0K

111.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$661 ₹62.8K

140.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$307 ₹29.2K

92.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.5

-14.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vellore: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Vellore

$31 11.9% 90% $278

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Vellore

$78 30% 66.9% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Vellore

$34 13% 69% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Vellore

$39 14.9% 59.1% $56

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Vellore

$57 22.2% 26% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Vellore

$7.8 3% 87.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Vellore

$13 5% 74.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $58 in Vellore. 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 92% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $7 in Vellore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $78 – making Vellore the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Vellore

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

11:13 11:13 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

186,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Vellore 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Vellore

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 Vellore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 261% more than Vellore, 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 $389 in Vellore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vellore, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $58 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $48 in Vellore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 202% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Vellore – 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 Vellore. 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.