Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aktobe and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktobe: $881 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $680 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

43

Cost of Living Index in Aktobe
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Aktobe Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Aktobe

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$881

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $881 per month in Aktobe vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aktobe $881
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,386 per month in Aktobe vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aktobe $1,386
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,891 per month in Aktobe vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aktobe $1,891
Chiang Mai $1,914

Aktobe is about 6% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Aktobe and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Aktobe 35% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.74 ₸3,951

$2.26 ฿75.4

286.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.63 ₸18.4K

$19.18 ฿641

111.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 ₸3,170

$5.59 ฿187

25.40%

Cappuccino

$2.47 ₸1,115

$1.72 ฿57.6

43.60%

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

$1.26 ₸567

$0.64 ฿21.54

96.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₸275

$0.33 ฿11.18

84.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 ₸831

$2.36 ฿78.7

-22.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ₸1,335

$3.90 ฿130

-24.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 ₸641

$2.05 ฿68.6

-30.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 ₸184

$1.40 ฿46.70

-70.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ₸421

$1.28 ฿42.89

-27.34%

Eggs

$1.77 ₸799

$2.25 ฿75.3

-21.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.82 ₸3,535

$16.94 ฿566

-53.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 ₸2,569

$2.74 ฿91.6

107.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.10 ₸4,115

$9.36 ฿313

-2.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ₸733

$2.40 ฿80.3

-32.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 ₸964

$1.01 ฿33.92

110.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₸1,058

$1.61 ฿53.9

45.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 ₸878

$1.52 ฿50.7

27.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₸378

$1.28 ฿42.90

-34.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₸181

$1.11 ฿37.22

-63.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₸494

$0.72 ฿24.09

51.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₸312

$0.52 ฿17.54

32.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.53 ₸1,142

$4.33 ฿145

-41.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 ₸2,689

$17.73 ฿593

-66.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 ₸489

$1.63 ฿54.4

-33.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ₸818

$2.85 ฿95.3

-36.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₸90.8

$0.85 ฿28.31

-76.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.62 ₸7,966

$53.9 ฿1,801

-67.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₸487

$1.17 ฿39.18

-7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ₸511

$0.57 ฿19.00

98.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 ₸2,499

$2.37 ฿79.2

133.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 ₸294

$1.45 ฿48.32

-55.17%

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

$23.1K ₸10.4M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

12.82%

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

$30.6K ₸13.8M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

15.51%

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

$55.8 ₸25.2K

$62.3 ฿2,083

-10.56%

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

$10.35 ₸4,680

$12.27 ฿410

-15.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 ₸9,463

$19.97 ฿668

4.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.08 ₸21.7K

$37.91 ฿1,267

26.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.14 ₸5,490

$3.76 ฿126

222.87%

Cinema Ticket

$5.44 ₸2,458

$6.71 ฿224

-18.93%

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

$220 ₸99.6K

$797 ฿26.6K

-72.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,286 ₸1.5M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-77.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 ₸24.6K

$53.3 ฿1,780

2.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₸25.2K

$25.05 ฿837

122.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₸53.3K

$91.6 ฿3,062

28.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ₸45.3K

$73.5 ฿2,455

36.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 ₸138.8K

$464 ฿15.5K

-33.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 ₸105.5K

$305 ฿10.2K

-23.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ₸204.8K

$915 ฿30.6K

-50.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₸162.3K

$552 ฿18.5K

-35.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$846 ₸382.4K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-55.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$546 ₸247.0K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-62.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$548 ₸247.8K

$595 ฿19.9K

-7.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

205.21%

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

Last update for Aktobe: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aktobe

$234 26.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 30.5% $71

Groceries & Markets

Aktobe

$185 21%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 28.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Aktobe

$148 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 25.9% $38

Eating Out

Aktobe

$143 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 44.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aktobe

$87 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 8.7% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Aktobe

$59 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 12.9% $7.6

Getting Around

Aktobe

$25 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 144% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $307 in Aktobe versus $464 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 9% 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 $41.00 in Aktobe versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $185 in Aktobe vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Aktobe wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Aktobe

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

15:09 3:09 PM

2 h ahead of Aktobe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

570,452

127,240

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aktobe Chiang Mai 5,080 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Aktobe
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

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,321 per month in Aktobe and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aktobe, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Aktobe and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aktobe, where all-in costs run around $881, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Aktobe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aktobe – 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 Aktobe. 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.