Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Abadan, Turkmenistan

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,173 in Abadan, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Abadan
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Abadan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Abadan

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$2,173

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Abadan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Abadan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $2,173 in Abadan.

Chiang Mai $936
Abadan $2,173

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $3,285 in Abadan.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Abadan $3,285

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $4,397 in Abadan.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Abadan $4,397

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 57% less than in Abadan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Abadan is 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$31.33 TMT 105

-92.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$85.8 TMT 287

-77.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$12.66 TMT 42.42

-56.16%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$6.91 TMT 23.16

-75.83%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.59 TMT 5.34

-59.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.90 TMT 3.01

-65.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$5.57 TMT 18.67

-57.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$13.41 TMT 44.93

-72.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$4.49 TMT 15.04

-56.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$2.01 TMT 6.72

-28.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$5.71 TMT 19.14

-76.71%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$6.03 TMT 20.22

-62.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$38.31 TMT 128

-57.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$19.96 TMT 66.9

-86.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$22.79 TMT 76.4

-59.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.92 TMT 16.50

-52.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$8.60 TMT 28.80

-88.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$7.58 TMT 25.39

-78.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.59 TMT 12.02

-58.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.23 TMT 7.47

-42.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.41 TMT 4.73

-21.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.74 TMT 9.17

-74.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.08 TMT 3.63

-54.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$26.18 TMT 87.7

-84.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$40.84 TMT 137

-57.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$5.09 TMT 17.05

-68.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.89 TMT 9.67

-3.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$2.89 TMT 9.68

-59.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.84 TMT 2.80

-36.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$8.78 TMT 29.40

-72.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.42 TMT 1.39

245.24%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$44.7K TMT 149.7K

-52.87%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$56.0K TMT 187.7K

-51.93%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$562 TMT 1,882

-88.94%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$56.8 TMT 190

-78.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$103 TMT 345

-80.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.69 TMT 29.11

-25.32%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$22.68 TMT 76.0

3145.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$25.1K TMT 84.0K

-41.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$56.7 TMT 190

-5.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$116 TMT 389

-78.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$358 TMT 1,198

-74.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$192 TMT 642

-62.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.5

-41.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Abadan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Abadan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Abadan

$666 30.6% 184% $432

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Abadan

$325 15% 199% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Abadan

$722 33.2% 664% $627

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Abadan

$436 20.1% 462% $359

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Abadan

$7.1 * 0.3% 88.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Abadan

$17 * 0.8% 65.4% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $86 in Abadan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $666 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇲 Abadan

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

08:28 8:28 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

39,481

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TMT = 0.299 USD

1 TMT = 0.267 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TMT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.35 TMT (1 TMT = 0.299 USD). 1 EUR = 3.74 TMT (1 TMT = 0.267 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Abadan 4,480 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Abadan

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

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

Chiang Mai is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $3,260 in Abadan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $86 in Abadan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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