Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cholpon-Ata

For one person, living is cheaper in Cholpon-Ata: $499 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Cholpon-Ata
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Cholpon-Ata Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cholpon-Ata

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Cholpon-Ata

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 Cholpon-Ata actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $499 in Cholpon-Ata, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Cholpon-Ata $499

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $829 in Cholpon-Ata, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cholpon-Ata $829

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,160 in Cholpon-Ata, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cholpon-Ata $1,160

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Cholpon-Ata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Cholpon-Ata are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Cholpon-Ata 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.82 KGS 596

-67.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$28.62 KGS 2,503

-33.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.93 KGS 519

-6.41%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.40 KGS 210

-30.42%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.75 KGS 65.8

-14.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.37 KGS 32.65

-16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.33 KGS 116

77.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.98 KGS 173

84.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.03 KGS 89.8

89.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.42 KGS 36.62

242.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.74 KGS 152

-23.56%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.77 KGS 155

28.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.48 KGS 654

119.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.49 KGS 393

-38.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.89 KGS 777

4.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.40 KGS 122

67.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.82 KGS 159

-46.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.03 KGS 177

-21.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.60 KGS 140

-6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.61 KGS 53.6

109.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.51 KGS 44.40

115.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.75 KGS 65.6

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.57 KGS 50.2

-14.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.10 KGS 184

97.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.36 KGS 819

87.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.38 KGS 120

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.91 KGS 167

45.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.22 KGS 19.24

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.83 KGS 73.0

39.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.44 KGS 38.40

20.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$5.80 KGS 507

-58.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.02 KGS 89.1

42.16%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$30.0K KGS 2.6M

-29.81%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$33.5K KGS 2.9M

-19.62%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$49.93 KGS 4,366

24.51%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$2.94 KGS 257

313.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$11.77 KGS 1,030

70.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.69 KGS 498

14.06%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$223 KGS 19.5K

229.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$7,905 KGS 691.3K

86.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$54.5 KGS 4,770

-2.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$43.02 KGS 3,762

-42.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$92.1 KGS 8,052

-0.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$91.3 KGS 7,987

-21.22%

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 ฿79.7K

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

20.1

-72.29%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cholpon-Ata: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cholpon-Ata

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cholpon-Ata

$176 35.3% 24.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cholpon-Ata

$126 25.3% 16.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cholpon-Ata

$65 13% 31.6% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cholpon-Ata

$116 23.3% 49.8% $39

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cholpon-Ata

$3.9 * 0.8% 93.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cholpon-Ata

$11 * 2.3% 77.4% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $29 in Cholpon-Ata. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $176 in Cholpon-Ata – so Cholpon-Ata wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇬 Cholpon-Ata

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

15:22 3:22 PM

1 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

14,200

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.65 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 87.46 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 97.6 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Cholpon-Ata 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cholpon-Ata

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 Cholpon-Ata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Cholpon-Ata, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $748 in Cholpon-Ata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $29 in Cholpon-Ata. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $499 in Cholpon-Ata, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $499 in Cholpon-Ata to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.