Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkala and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $383 per month in Varkala vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varkala $383
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $611 per month in Varkala vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varkala $611
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $839 per month in Varkala vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varkala $839
Chiang Mai $1,979

Varkala is about 59% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.30 ₹219

$2.24 ฿75.7

2.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.55 ₹1,003

$19.00 ฿642

-44.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.55 ₹338

$5.55 ฿188

-36.04%

Cappuccino

$1.51 ₹143

$1.67 ฿56.6

-9.58%

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

$0.40 ₹38.47

$0.64 ฿21.56

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ₹15.96

$0.31 ฿10.32

-45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₹169

$2.36 ฿79.6

-24.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹292

$3.66 ฿124

-16.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 ₹67.8

$1.95 ฿65.8

-63.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 ₹42.48

$1.44 ฿48.51

-68.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ₹64.0

$1.33 ฿45.07

-49.62%

Eggs

$0.94 ₹89.6

$2.28 ฿77.1

-58.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.02 ₹477

$16.45 ฿556

-69.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ₹289

$2.78 ฿94.0

9.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 ₹193

$2.35 ฿79.5

-13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ₹71.0

$0.97 ฿32.82

-22.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 ₹89.7

$1.60 ฿53.9

-41.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 ₹51.7

$1.50 ฿50.7

-64.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹33.86

$1.28 ฿43.15

-71.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ₹43.33

$1.10 ฿37.22

-58.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹43.05

$0.71 ฿23.84

-36.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.93

$0.49 ฿16.38

-36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 ₹379

$4.14 ฿140

-3.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.30 ₹694

$17.52 ฿592

-58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₹162

$1.61 ฿54.5

6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₹272

$2.78 ฿94.0

2.88%

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

$5.52 ₹525

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₹26.44

$0.87 ฿29.33

-67.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.50 ₹808

$54.1 ฿1,827

-84.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 ₹79.9

$1.16 ฿39.08

-27.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.76

$0.53 ฿17.82

-52.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ₹141

$2.42 ฿81.8

-38.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ₹111

$1.45 ฿48.93

-19.31%

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

$13.8K ₹1.3M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-34.37%

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

$21.9K ₹2.1M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-18.79%

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

$38.84 ₹3,694

$62.2 ฿2,100

-37.53%

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

$3.53 ₹335

$12.17 ฿411

-70.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.21 ₹686

$20.12 ฿680

-64.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.07 ₹1,528

$37.31 ฿1,260

-56.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.04 ₹670

$3.77 ฿127

86.74%

Cinema Ticket

$2.86 ₹272

$6.49 ฿219

-55.93%

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

$50.6 ₹4,810

$736 ฿24.9K

-93.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,531 ₹145.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-89.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.03 ₹2,286

$53.4 ฿1,802

-54.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.85 ₹2,364

$24.64 ฿832

0.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.77 ₹4,068

$91.5 ฿3,089

-53.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.58 ₹2,909

$71.9 ฿2,429

-57.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$122 ₹11.6K

$482 ฿16.3K

-74.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.1 ₹7,138

$309 ฿10.4K

-75.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 ₹26.1K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-72.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ₹17.3K

$633 ฿21.4K

-71.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,076 ₹102.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-54.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$611 ₹58.1K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-61.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.67

5.57

55.66%

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

Last update for Varkala: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varkala

$106 27.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 121% $129

Accommodation & Living

Varkala

$75 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 312% $234

Eating Out

Varkala

$64 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 20.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Varkala

$55 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 97.5% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varkala

$50 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 90.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Varkala

$22 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 131% $29

Getting Around

Varkala

$12 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 424% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $122 in Varkala 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Varkala versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $106 vs $234 – making Varkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varkala

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Varkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

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

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Varkala
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 144% 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 $575 per month in Varkala 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 Varkala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $122 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $51 per month in Varkala 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 121% 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $383 in Varkala and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Varkala costs $383 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

For expats, Varkala is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 144% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.