Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashgabat and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,400 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $29,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

163

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
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Ashgabat Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,400

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,400 in Ashgabat versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Ashgabat $3,400
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,109 in Ashgabat versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Ashgabat $5,109
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,818 in Ashgabat versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Ashgabat $6,818
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Ashgabat is roughly 263% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ashgabat is 150% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.91 TMT 104

$2.24 ฿75.7

1279.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.1 TMT 292

$19.00 ฿642

358.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.81 TMT 42.92

$5.55 ฿188

130.81%

Cappuccino

$6.98 TMT 23.40

$1.67 ฿56.6

317.96%

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

$1.56 TMT 5.21

$0.64 ฿21.56

143.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 TMT 2.75

$0.31 ฿10.32

164.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 TMT 18.76

$2.36 ฿79.6

137.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.68 TMT 45.84

$3.66 ฿124

273.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.49 TMT 15.03

$1.95 ฿65.8

130.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 TMT 6.72

$1.44 ฿48.51

39.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.77 TMT 19.34

$1.33 ฿45.07

333.83%

Eggs

$6.04 TMT 20.23

$2.28 ฿77.1

164.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$36.95 TMT 124

$16.45 ฿556

124.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.67 TMT 65.9

$2.78 ฿94.0

607.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.60 TMT 79.1

$9.31 ฿314

153.49%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 TMT 17.10

$2.35 ฿79.5

117.02%

Banana (1kg)

$8.63 TMT 28.91

$0.97 ฿32.82

789.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.32 TMT 24.53

$1.60 ฿53.9

357.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 TMT 12.30

$1.50 ฿50.7

144.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 TMT 7.75

$1.28 ฿43.15

80.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 TMT 4.65

$1.10 ฿37.22

26.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 TMT 8.81

$0.71 ฿23.84

270.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 TMT 3.62

$0.49 ฿16.38

120.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.92 TMT 86.8

$4.14 ฿140

526.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$41.19 TMT 138

$17.52 ฿592

135.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.08 TMT 17.01

$1.61 ฿54.5

215.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 TMT 9.51

$2.78 ฿94.0

2.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 TMT 0.49

$0.87 ฿29.33

-82.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.81 TMT 32.85

$54.1 ฿1,827

-81.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 TMT 9.39

$1.16 ฿39.08

141.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 TMT 2.92

$0.53 ฿17.82

64.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 TMT 29.33

$2.42 ฿81.8

261.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.41 TMT 1.37

$1.45 ฿48.93

-71.72%

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

$44.6K TMT 149.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

111.69%

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

$57.0K TMT 190.8K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

111.41%

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

$576 TMT 1,930

$62.2 ฿2,100

826.91%

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

$58.3 TMT 195

$12.17 ฿411

378.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 TMT 347

$20.12 ฿680

414.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$197 TMT 659

$37.31 ฿1,260

426.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.87 TMT 147

$3.77 ฿127

1063.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 TMT 29.47

$6.49 ฿219

35.59%

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

$23.22 TMT 77.8

$736 ฿24.9K

-96.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K TMT 84.5K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

70.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 TMT 190

$53.4 ฿1,802

6.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$116 TMT 390

$24.64 ฿832

372.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$371 TMT 1,242

$91.5 ฿3,089

305.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$194 TMT 650

$71.9 ฿2,429

169.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 TMT 4,675

$482 ฿16.3K

189.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 TMT 3,349

$309 ฿10.4K

223.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,244 TMT 7,519

$1,006 ฿34.0K

123.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 TMT 6,470

$633 ฿21.4K

204.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,614 TMT 12.1K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

52.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,901 TMT 9,717

$1,589 ฿53.7K

82.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$748 TMT 2,507

$590 ฿19.9K

26.88%

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 Ashgabat: 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

Ashgabat

$1,000 29.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 69.1% $691

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashgabat

$738 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 87.2% $644

Groceries & Markets

Ashgabat

$664 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 64.7% $429

Eating Out

Ashgabat

$434 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 82.1% $357

Clothing & Footwear

Ashgabat

$332 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 67.3% $224

Sport & Entertainment

Ashgabat

$214 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 76.5% $164

Getting Around

Ashgabat

$18 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 250% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,396 in Ashgabat and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashgabat pays 27% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $87 in Ashgabat vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $664 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

2 h ahead of Ashgabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

909,000 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 TMT = 0.299 USD

1 TMT = 0.268 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TMT – Turkmenistani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇲 Turkmenistani Manat (m)

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.35 TMT (1 TMT = 0.299 USD). 1 EUR = 3.73 TMT (1 TMT = 0.268 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TMT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ashgabat Chiang Mai 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashgabat
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,400 in Ashgabat and $936 in Chiang Mai, so Chiang Mai is about 72% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Ashgabat, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,396 in Ashgabat versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $23 in Ashgabat versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 183% higher in Ashgabat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ashgabat and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Ashgabat on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.