Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ernakulam and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Ernakulam: $393 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Ernakulam
Learn more

Ernakulam Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Ernakulam

🇮🇳 India

$393

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ernakulam and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $393 per month in Ernakulam vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ernakulam $393
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $651 per month in Ernakulam vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ernakulam $651
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $909 per month in Ernakulam vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ernakulam $909
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ernakulam is about 58% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ernakulam and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ernakulam 71% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.70 ₹162

$2.24 ฿75.7

-24.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.18 ₹779

$19.00 ฿642

-56.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.65 ₹347

$5.55 ฿188

-34.23%

Cappuccino

$1.29 ₹123

$1.67 ฿56.6

-22.75%

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

$0.39 ₹37.58

$0.64 ฿21.56

-39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 ₹11.55

$0.31 ฿10.32

-61.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 ₹154

$2.36 ฿79.6

-31.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₹202

$3.66 ฿124

-42.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 ₹60.2

$1.95 ฿65.8

-67.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.41

$1.44 ฿48.51

-65.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹59.6

$1.33 ฿45.07

-52.63%

Eggs

$0.90 ₹86.1

$2.28 ฿77.1

-60.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.52 ₹526

$16.45 ฿556

-66.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.82 ₹268

$2.78 ฿94.0

1.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ₹214

$2.35 ฿79.5

-4.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.3

$0.97 ฿32.82

-27.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₹101

$1.60 ฿53.9

-33.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 ₹43.14

$1.50 ฿50.7

-70.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.21

$1.28 ฿43.15

-70.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 ₹47.43

$1.10 ฿37.22

-54.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ₹53.6

$0.71 ฿23.84

-21.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.40

$0.49 ฿16.38

-40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 ₹431

$4.14 ฿140

9.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.37 ₹512

$17.52 ฿592

-69.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₹161

$1.61 ฿54.5

4.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 ₹239

$2.78 ฿94.0

-10.07%

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

$5.07 ₹483

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.10 ₹9.20

$0.87 ฿29.33

-88.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.24 ₹595

$54.1 ฿1,827

-88.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₹126

$1.16 ฿39.08

14.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹31.72

$0.53 ฿17.82

-37.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₹128

$2.42 ฿81.8

-44.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹104

$1.45 ฿48.93

-24.83%

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

$11.1K ₹1.1M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-47.28%

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

$27.1K ₹2.6M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

0.52%

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

$32.90 ₹3,133

$62.2 ฿2,100

-47.08%

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

$3.28 ₹312

$12.17 ฿411

-73.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.63 ₹631

$20.12 ฿680

-67.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.20 ₹1,162

$37.31 ฿1,260

-67.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.04 ₹861

$3.77 ฿127

139.79%

Cinema Ticket

$2.16 ₹206

$6.49 ฿219

-66.72%

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

$56.8 ₹5,407

$736 ฿24.9K

-92.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,068 ₹196.9K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-85.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.73 ₹2,069

$53.4 ฿1,802

-59.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.36 ₹1,653

$24.64 ฿832

-29.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.23 ₹3,450

$91.5 ฿3,089

-60.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.47 ₹2,615

$71.9 ฿2,429

-61.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 ₹21.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

-53.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$121 ₹11.5K

$309 ฿10.4K

-60.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 ₹39.5K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-58.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ₹31.4K

$633 ฿21.4K

-47.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,084 ₹103.2K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-54.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,184 ₹112.7K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-25.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 ₹33.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

-40.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

5.57

70.56%

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

Last update for Ernakulam: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ernakulam

$121 30.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 156% $188

Groceries & Markets

Ernakulam

$102 26%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 130% $132

Eating Out

Ernakulam

$54 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 42.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Ernakulam

$46 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 135% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ernakulam

$43 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 121% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Ernakulam

$17 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 204% $34

Getting Around

Ernakulam

$9.6 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 538% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $226 in Ernakulam versus $482 in Chiang Mai. 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 69% 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 $8 in Ernakulam versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $102 vs $234 – making Ernakulam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Ernakulam

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Ernakulam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

612,343

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ernakulam Chiang Mai 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ernakulam
Chiang Mai

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

Ernakulam vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 138% more than Ernakulam, 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 $589 per month in Ernakulam and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ernakulam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $57 per month in Ernakulam and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 130% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ernakulam costs $393 versus $936 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.

If budget matters most, go with Ernakulam. 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.