Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Abaza

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,110 in Abaza, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Abaza
Learn more

Abaza Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Abaza

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,110

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Abaza actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $1,110 in Abaza.

Chiang Mai $935
Abaza $1,110

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $1,764 in Abaza.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Abaza $1,764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $2,419 in Abaza.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Abaza $2,419

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 16% less than in Abaza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Abaza 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$12.14 ₽990

-82.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$45.54 ₽3,714

-59.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$5.94 ₽485

-5.72%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.67 ₽217

-37.83%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$1.13 ₽92.4

-42.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.68 ₽55.3

-55.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$1.70 ₽139

36.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.26 ₽266

12.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$1.35 ₽110

49.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$0.81 ₽65.8

74.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$1.60 ₽131

-13.13%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.77 ₽144

33.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$13.22 ₽1,079

24.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$4.98 ₽406

-46.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$12.27 ₽1,001

-26.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$1.97 ₽161

21.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$1.72 ₽141

-39.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.98 ₽161

-16.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$3.39 ₽276

-53.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$0.86 ₽70.4

44.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$0.68 ₽55.6

60.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$1.18 ₽96.0

-35.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.80 ₽65.5

-36.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.10 ₽253

32.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$8.51 ₽694

110.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.21 ₽98.5

33.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$2.39 ₽195

17.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.60 ₽48.63

55.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$29.29 ₽2,389

80.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$2.44 ₽199

-51.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$0.39 ₽31.81

-56.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$5.75 ₽469

-68.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$0.91 ₽74.4

61.54%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$57.3K ₽4.7M

-63.32%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$42.8K ₽3.5M

-38.07%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$149 ₽12.2K

-58.09%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$7.17 ₽585

61.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$8.30 ₽677

144.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$38.74 ₽3,160

-2.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$22.92 ₽1,869

-83.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$7.34 ₽599

-11.31%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$305 ₽24.9K

138.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$6,310 ₽514.7K

162.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$99.8 ₽8,136

-46.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$60.4 ₽4,922

-58.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$123 ₽10.0K

-26.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$103 ₽8,408

-30.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$565 ₽46.1K

-14.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$285 ₽23.3K

8.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$913 ₽74.5K

15.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$553 ₽45.1K

19.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$2,104 ₽171.6K

14.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$1,671 ₽136.3K

-3.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.33

-73.89%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Abaza: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Abaza

$285 25.7% 7.9% $25

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Abaza

$228 20.5% 3.8% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Abaza

$174 15.7% 60.5% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Abaza

$165 14.8% 74.4% $70

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Abaza

$169 15.2% 121% $93

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Abaza

$36 3.3% 38.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Abaza

$53 4.8% 4.9% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $565 in Abaza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $46 in Abaza. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $228, with Abaza cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Abaza

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

14,816

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 RUB = 1.23 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.6 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Abaza 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Abaza

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 Abaza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,665 in Abaza 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $565 in Abaza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Abaza pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $46 in Abaza. 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.