Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Arzamas

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,117 in Arzamas, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Arzamas
Learn more

Arzamas Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Arzamas

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,117 in Arzamas.

Chiang Mai $936
Arzamas $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,737 in Arzamas.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Arzamas $1,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $2,357 in Arzamas.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Arzamas $2,357

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$12.60 ₽1,015

-82.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$38.36 ₽3,090

-50.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.10 ₽491

-9.02%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.65 ₽214

-36.98%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.08 ₽86.9

-40.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.66 ₽52.9

-53.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.90 ₽153

24.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.22 ₽260

13.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.30 ₽105

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.79 ₽63.8

82.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.57 ₽127

-15.29%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.68 ₽136

35.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.96 ₽802

65.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.69 ₽458

-51.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.43 ₽1,001

-25.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.79 ₽144

31.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.79 ₽144

-45.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.58 ₽127

1.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.03 ₽244

-50.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.77 ₽61.9

66.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.54 ₽43.79

103.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.31 ₽105

-45.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.73 ₽59.0

-32.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.69 ₽216

53.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.28 ₽667

111.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.20 ₽97.0

34.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.06 ₽166

34.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.51 ₽40.90

70.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$26.27 ₽2,115

105.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$2.27 ₽183

-48.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.34 ₽27.10

55.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$5.64 ₽454

-57.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.92 ₽74.5

57.61%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$60.6K ₽4.9M

-65.24%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$41.2K ₽3.3M

-34.58%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$143 ₽11.5K

-56.42%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$7.06 ₽568

72.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$7.59 ₽611

165.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$36.06 ₽2,904

3.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$25.44 ₽2,049

-85.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.94 ₽559

-6.48%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$373 ₽30.1K

97.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$7,263 ₽584.9K

103.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$76.4 ₽6,156

-30.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$51.3 ₽4,128

-51.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$116 ₽9,369

-21.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$113 ₽9,109

-36.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$303 ₽24.4K

58.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$328 ₽26.4K

-5.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$497 ₽40.0K

102.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$596 ₽48.0K

6.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,238 ₽180.2K

5.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,752 ₽141.1K

-9.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.45

-74.03%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Arzamas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Arzamas

$328 29.4% 6.3% $19

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Arzamas

$215 19.2% 8.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Arzamas

$161 14.4% 47.9% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Arzamas

$157 14.1% 66.5% $63

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Arzamas

$174 15.6% 124% $96

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Arzamas

$32 2.9% 47.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Arzamas

$50 4.5% 0.7% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $303 in Arzamas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $38 in Arzamas. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $215, with Arzamas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Arzamas

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

06:42 6:42 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

103,396

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Arzamas 6,130 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Arzamas

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 Arzamas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,117 in Arzamas, so Chiang Mai is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,676 in Arzamas 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 $303 in Arzamas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $1,117 in Arzamas – Chiang Mai is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Arzamas runs roughly 51% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.