Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Izhevsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Izhevsk: $710 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Izhevsk
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Izhevsk Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Izhevsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $710 in Izhevsk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Izhevsk $710

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,114 in Izhevsk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Izhevsk $1,114

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,518 in Izhevsk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Izhevsk $1,518

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Izhevsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Izhevsk are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Izhevsk 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$35.32 ₽3,006

-45.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$10.79 ₽918

-49.30%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$4.07 ₽347

-58.72%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$0.80 ₽68.0

-17.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$0.57 ₽48.20

-40.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$1.20 ₽102

101.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$1.04 ₽88.5

258.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$5.24 ₽446

-48.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$0.55 ₽47.04

56.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$23.14 ₽1,969

129.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$1.45 ₽124

-15.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$0.23 ₽19.55

143.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

$7.28 ₽619

-68.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$0.81 ₽69.0

85.19%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$29.2K ₽2.5M

-28.66%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$29.3K ₽2.5M

-8.88%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$140 ₽11.9K

-56.24%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$7.11 ₽605

75.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$6.66 ₽567

205.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$28.97 ₽2,465

30.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$5.41 ₽460

22.00%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$80.9 ₽6,882

-32.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$23.31 ₽1,984

8.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$119 ₽10.1K

-23.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$144 ₽12.2K

-48.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$468 ₽39.8K

-1.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$211 ₽18.0K

39.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$648 ₽55.1K

41.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$416 ₽35.4K

32.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$2,312 ₽196.7K

-17.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$1,031 ₽87.7K

40.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$942 ₽80.2K

-37.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-74.68%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Izhevsk: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Izhevsk

$211 29.4% 28.1% $83

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Izhevsk

$26 * 3.7% 88.9% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Izhevsk

$165 22.9% 50.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Izhevsk

$154 21.4% 63.4% $60

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Izhevsk

$95 * 13.2% 22.7% $18

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Izhevsk

$28 3.9% 53.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Izhevsk

$40 5.5% 22.2% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $468 in Izhevsk. 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 59% higher in Izhevsk, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $35.00 in Izhevsk. Groceries tell a different story – $236 in Chiang Mai vs $26.00 in Izhevsk – so Izhevsk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Izhevsk

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

15:55 3:55 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

646,468

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.35 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Izhevsk 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Izhevsk

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 Izhevsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Izhevsk, 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 $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,065 in Izhevsk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Izhevsk, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 130% less in Izhevsk. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 800% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Izhevsk, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Chiang Mai at $906. In Izhevsk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Izhevsk costs $710 versus $906 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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