Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dushanbe

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Dushanbe: $936 and $923 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Dushanbe
Learn more

Dushanbe Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Dushanbe

🇹🇯 Tajikistan

$923

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $923 in Dushanbe, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Dushanbe $923

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,371 in Dushanbe, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Dushanbe $1,371

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,818 in Dushanbe, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Dushanbe $1,818

Chiang Mai and Dushanbe have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Dushanbe are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Dushanbe 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.85 TJS 44.63

-53.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$20.38 TJS 188

-6.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.50 TJS 50.6

0.91%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.76 TJS 16.16

-5.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.61 TJS 5.65

4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.34 TJS 3.13

-8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.21 TJS 11.16

95.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.43 TJS 22.34

50.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.11 TJS 10.24

75.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.59 TJS 5.46

144.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.39 TJS 22.04

-44.35%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.79 TJS 16.49

27.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.89 TJS 100

51.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.35 TJS 40.05

-36.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.30 TJS 104

-17.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.89 TJS 17.44

24.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.81 TJS 25.86

-65.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.69 TJS 24.79

-40.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.26 TJS 11.63

19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.62 TJS 5.74

106.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.43 TJS 3.98

155.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.27 TJS 11.70

-44.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.64 TJS 5.92

-23.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.89 TJS 35.86

6.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.48 TJS 106

52.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.45 TJS 13.38

11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.06 TJS 18.97

34.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.28 TJS 2.58

210.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$16.46 TJS 152

228.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.10 TJS 10.08

5.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.34 TJS 3.15

55.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$6.47 TJS 59.6

-62.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.15 TJS 10.54

26.09%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$16.0K TJS 146.9K

32.01%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$24.3K TJS 223.5K

11.02%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$68.4 TJS 630

-9.12%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.27 TJS 94.6

18.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$17.23 TJS 159

16.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$44.97 TJS 414

-17.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$14.43 TJS 133

-73.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.29 TJS 48.71

22.68%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$84.7 TJS 780

768.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$5,754 TJS 53.0K

156.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$24.46 TJS 225

118.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$52.9 TJS 487

-53.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$77.0 TJS 709

18.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$56.6 TJS 521

27.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$633 TJS 5,828

-23.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$350 TJS 3,218

-11.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$889 TJS 8,183

13.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$559 TJS 5,148

13.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,278 TJS 11.8K

84.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$708 TJS 6,515

124.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$434 TJS 3,997

35.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

23.17

-75.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dushanbe: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Dushanbe

$350 37.9% 13.1% $41

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Dushanbe

$215 23.3% 8.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Dushanbe

$95 10.3% 12.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dushanbe

$96 10.4% 1.5% $1.5

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Dushanbe

$91 9.9% 17.4% $13

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Dushanbe

$20 2.2% 66.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Dushanbe

$56 6% 10.5% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $633 in Dushanbe. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 36% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $20 in Dushanbe. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $215 in Dushanbe – so Dushanbe wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇯 Dushanbe

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

12:23 12:23 PM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

679,400 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tajikistani Somoni TJS ЅМ

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 TJS = 10.86 USD

100 TJS = 9.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TJS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Tajikistani Somoni exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.21 TJS (1 TJS = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.28 TJS (100 TJS = 9.73 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Dushanbe 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dushanbe

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 Dushanbe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,384 in Dushanbe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $633 in Dushanbe.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $20 in Dushanbe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 70% less in Dushanbe. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $923 in Dushanbe 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.

If budget matters most, go with Dushanbe. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.