Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kozhikode and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kozhikode: $429 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Kozhikode, India
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Kozhikode
🇮🇳 India
$429
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kozhikode 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 Kozhikode and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $429 per month in Kozhikode vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kozhikode $429
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $666 per month in Kozhikode vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kozhikode $666
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $903 per month in Kozhikode vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kozhikode $903
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Kozhikode is about 54% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kozhikode and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kozhikode 69% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kozhikode
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.53 ₹146
$2.24 ฿75.6
-31.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$9.48 ₹900
$19.00 ฿641
-50.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.20 ₹304
$5.55 ฿187
-42.34%
Cappuccino
$1.37 ₹130
$1.67 ฿56.5
-17.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ₹34.69
$0.64 ฿21.55
-42.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 ₹10.94
$0.31 ฿10.31
-61.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.44 ₹136
$2.36 ฿79.6
-38.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 ₹179
$3.66 ฿124
-48.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kozhikode
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.61 ₹57.6
$1.95 ฿65.8
-68.72%
White Bread (500g)
$0.45 ₹42.87
$1.44 ฿48.48
-68.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.54 ₹51.7
$1.33 ฿45.04
-59.40%
Eggs
$0.80 ₹76.3
$2.28 ฿77.1
-64.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.63 ₹344
$16.45 ฿555
-77.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.57 ₹339
$2.78 ฿93.9
28.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$9.31 ฿314
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.05 ₹195
$2.35 ฿79.4
-12.77%
Banana (1kg)
$0.60 ₹56.9
$0.97 ฿32.80
-38.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.88 ₹83.5
$1.60 ฿53.9
-45.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.50 ₹47.61
$1.50 ฿50.6
-66.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.34 ₹32.55
$1.28 ฿43.12
-73.44%
Onion (1kg)
$0.39 ₹36.55
$1.10 ฿37.19
-64.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.64 ₹60.9
$0.71 ฿23.82
-9.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.25 ₹23.70
$0.49 ฿16.37
-48.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.98 ₹473
$4.14 ฿140
20.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.24 ₹497
$17.52 ฿591
-70.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.99 ₹189
$1.61 ฿54.5
23.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 ₹200
$2.78 ฿94.0
-24.10%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$3.52 ₹334
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Kozhikode
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.09 ₹9.02
$0.87 ฿29.31
-89.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$5.82 ₹552
$54.1 ฿1,826
-89.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.81 ₹76.8
$1.16 ฿39.06
-30.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.49 ₹46.79
$0.53 ฿17.80
-7.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.15 ₹204
$2.42 ฿81.8
-11.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 ₹103
$1.45 ฿48.90
-24.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.0K ₹1.0M
$21.1K ฿710.7K
-47.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.7K ₹1.9M
$26.9K ฿909.3K
-26.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kozhikode
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.8 ₹5,203
$62.2 ฿2,098
-11.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.01 ₹285
$12.17 ฿411
-75.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.18 ₹587
$20.12 ฿679
-69.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kozhikode
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.42 ₹1,844
$37.31 ฿1,259
-47.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.28 ₹596
$3.77 ฿127
66.58%
Cinema Ticket
$2.71 ₹257
$6.49 ฿219
-58.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kozhikode
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$44.63 ₹4,237
$736 ฿24.8K
-93.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$509 ₹48.3K
$14.8K ฿498.3K
-96.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kozhikode
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.91 ₹2,650
$53.4 ฿1,801
-47.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.46 ₹2,607
$24.64 ฿831
11.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.2 ₹6,857
$91.5 ฿3,087
-21.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.38 ₹3,454
$71.9 ฿2,428
-49.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kozhikode
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$156 ₹14.8K
$482 ฿16.3K
-67.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$109 ₹10.3K
$309 ฿10.4K
-64.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$407 ₹38.7K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-59.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$242 ₹22.9K
$633 ฿21.4K
-61.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$875 ₹83.1K
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-62.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$624 ₹59.3K
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-60.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kozhikode
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$290 ₹27.5K
$590 ฿19.9K
-50.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.37
5.57
68.22%

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

Last update for Kozhikode: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kozhikode
$109
Chiang Mai
$309 184% $200
Groceries & Markets
Kozhikode
$97
Chiang Mai
$234 143% $138
Clothing & Footwear
Kozhikode
$74
Chiang Mai
$109 47.2% $35
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kozhikode
$64
Chiang Mai
$94 47.6% $30
Eating Out
Kozhikode
$51
Chiang Mai
$78 51.4% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Kozhikode
$25
Chiang Mai
$50 102% $25
Getting Around
Kozhikode
$9.5
Chiang Mai
$61 548% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $156 in Kozhikode 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 in Chiang Mai are about 2 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 $9 in Kozhikode versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $97 vs $234 – making Kozhikode the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Kozhikode
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
10:18 10:18 AM
11:48 11:48 AM
1 h 30 min ahead of Kozhikode
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
550,440
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kozhikode Chiang Mai 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Kozhikode
  • 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
Kozhikode vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kozhikode or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 118% more than Kozhikode, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Kozhikode and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $643 per month in Kozhikode and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Kozhikode or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kozhikode, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $156 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Kozhikode and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $45 per month in Kozhikode and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Kozhikode or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 143% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Kozhikode or in Chiang Mai?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $429 in Kozhikode and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Kozhikode – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Kozhikode compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Kozhikode or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Kozhikode. 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.

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