Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malappuram and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Malappuram: $289 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Malappuram
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Malappuram Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Malappuram

🇮🇳 India

$289

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $289 per month in Malappuram vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Malappuram $289
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $451 per month in Malappuram vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Malappuram $451
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $613 per month in Malappuram vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Malappuram $613
Chiang Mai $1,979

Malappuram is about 69% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Malappuram and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Malappuram 79% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.17 ₹112

$2.24 ฿75.7

-47.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.44 ₹707

$19.00 ฿642

-60.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.15 ₹300

$5.55 ฿188

-43.24%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₹171

$1.67 ฿56.6

7.78%

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

$0.35 ₹33.49

$0.64 ฿21.56

-45.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.97

$0.31 ฿10.32

-51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ₹124

$2.36 ฿79.6

-44.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₹195

$3.66 ฿124

-43.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.52 ₹49.81

$1.95 ฿65.8

-73.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 ₹44.02

$1.44 ฿48.51

-68.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.45 ₹42.52

$1.33 ฿45.07

-66.17%

Eggs

$0.80 ₹76.0

$2.28 ฿77.1

-64.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.81 ₹552

$16.45 ฿556

-64.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.51 ₹239

$2.78 ฿94.0

-9.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₹160

$2.35 ฿79.5

-28.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 ₹54.4

$0.97 ฿32.82

-41.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 ₹79.6

$1.60 ฿53.9

-47.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.29 ₹27.45

$1.50 ฿50.7

-80.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 ₹36.77

$1.28 ฿43.15

-69.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₹32.85

$1.10 ฿37.22

-68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ₹73.8

$0.71 ฿23.84

9.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.79

$0.49 ฿16.38

-36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 ₹429

$4.14 ฿140

9.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$1.75 ₹166

$17.52 ฿592

-90.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₹148

$1.61 ฿54.5

-3.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 ₹476

$2.78 ฿94.0

79.86%

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

$3.27 ₹311

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₹17.05

$0.87 ฿29.33

-79.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.36 ₹415

$54.1 ฿1,827

-91.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 ₹37.75

$1.16 ฿39.08

-65.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₹22.87

$0.53 ฿17.82

-54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 ₹47.92

$2.42 ฿81.8

-79.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.45 ฿48.93

-23.45%

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

$10.4K ₹993.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-50.42%

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

$15.7K ₹1.5M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-41.83%

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

$21.58 ₹2,053

$62.2 ฿2,100

-65.29%

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

$2.60 ₹248

$12.17 ฿411

-78.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.05 ₹671

$20.12 ฿680

-64.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.02 ₹668

$37.31 ฿1,260

-81.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.25 ₹405

$3.77 ฿127

12.73%

Cinema Ticket

$1.77 ₹169

$6.49 ฿219

-72.73%

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

$28.36 ₹2,697

$736 ฿24.9K

-96.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$831 ₹79.0K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-94.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.17 ₹1,538

$53.4 ฿1,802

-69.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.78 ₹1,786

$24.64 ฿832

-23.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.04 ₹2,191

$91.5 ฿3,089

-74.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$13.78 ₹1,311

$71.9 ฿2,429

-80.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$103 ₹9,808

$482 ฿16.3K

-78.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$63.3 ₹6,024

$309 ฿10.4K

-79.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 ₹16.7K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-82.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$128 ₹12.2K

$633 ฿21.4K

-79.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,340 ₹602.9K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

168.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$371 ₹35.3K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-76.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$218 ₹20.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

-63.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

79.53%

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

Last update for Malappuram: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malappuram

$91 31.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 156% $143

Accommodation & Living

Malappuram

$63 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 388% $246

Eating Out

Malappuram

$53 18.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 46.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Malappuram

$32 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 236% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malappuram

$31 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 202% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Malappuram

$11 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 376% $40

Getting Around

Malappuram

$6.7 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 820% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $103 in Malappuram 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 2.7 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 $7 in Malappuram versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $91 vs $234 – making Malappuram the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Malappuram

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

17:22 5:22 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Malappuram

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,330

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malappuram Chiang Mai 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Malappuram
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 224% more than Malappuram, 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 $433 per month in Malappuram 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 Malappuram, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $103 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $28 per month in Malappuram 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 156% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Malappuram. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.