Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Artem

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,165 in Artem, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Artem
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Artem Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Artem

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,165 in Artem.

Chiang Mai $936
Artem $1,165

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,803 in Artem.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Artem $1,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $2,441 in Artem.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Artem $2,441

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 20% less than in Artem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Artem 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$12.31 ₽995

-81.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$36.87 ₽2,982

-48.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.68 ₽541

-16.92%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.10 ₽250

-46.13%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.08 ₽87.4

-40.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.67 ₽54.0

-53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.41 ₽114

67.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.25 ₽182

62.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.70 ₽138

14.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.67 ₽54.0

114.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.71 ₽138

-22.22%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.41 ₽195

-5.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$13.35 ₽1,080

23.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.12 ₽495

-54.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.46 ₽927

-18.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.91 ₽236

-19.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$2.04 ₽165

-52.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.84 ₽230

-43.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.23 ₽342

-64.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.00 ₽80.7

28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.01 ₽81.6

8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.29 ₽105

-44.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.13 ₽91.7

-56.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.94 ₽238

40.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$7.72 ₽624

126.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.19 ₽96.0

35.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.36 ₽191

17.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.56 ₽44.90

55.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$27.71 ₽2,242

95.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.46 ₽199

-52.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.37 ₽30.14

43.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$5.91 ₽478

-59.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.83 ₽67.2

74.70%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$52.5K ₽4.2M

-59.87%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$41.2K ₽3.3M

-34.68%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$159 ₽12.9K

-60.98%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$8.41 ₽680

44.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$9.50 ₽768

111.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$36.08 ₽2,918

3.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$24.08 ₽1,948

-84.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.35 ₽433

21.31%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$346 ₽28.0K

112.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$6,363 ₽514.8K

132.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$82.0 ₽6,630

-34.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$59.3 ₽4,795

-58.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$99.6 ₽8,055

-8.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$126 ₽10.2K

-42.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$483 ₽39.1K

-0.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$313 ₽25.3K

-1.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$885 ₽71.6K

13.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$564 ₽45.6K

12.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,296 ₽185.7K

2.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,472 ₽119.1K

7.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

23.6

-76.40%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Artem: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Artem

$313 26.9% 1.3% $3.9

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Artem

$254 21.8% 8.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Artem

$165 14.2% 51.8% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Artem

$177 15.2% 87.6% $83

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Artem

$174 15% 125% $97

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Artem

$34 2.9% 44.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Artem

$47 4% 7% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $483 in Artem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $37 in Artem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $254 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Artem

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

13:15 1:15 PM

3 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

104,926

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.1 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 80.89 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.67 RUB (100 RUB = 1.1 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Artem 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Artem

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 Artem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Artem. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,747 in Artem 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: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $483 in Artem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Artem runs roughly 49% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $346 in Artem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.