Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kharkiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Kharkiv: $722 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Kharkiv
Learn more

Kharkiv Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kharkiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $722 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kharkiv $722

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,072 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kharkiv $1,072

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,421 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kharkiv $1,421

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Kharkiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kharkiv are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kharkiv 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$6.54 ₴298

-65.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$30.03 ₴1,368

-36.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.82 ₴220

15.15%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.64 ₴74.9

1.83%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.04 ₴47.57

-38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.50 ₴22.61

-38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.96 ₴43.90

145.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.67 ₴75.9

119.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.09 ₴49.49

78.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.68 ₴31.03

111.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.22 ₴55.6

9.02%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.65 ₴75.0

38.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$8.34 ₴380

97.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.07 ₴185

-31.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.14 ₴325

30.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.33 ₴60.4

76.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.51 ₴68.8

-35.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.57 ₴71.4

1.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.10 ₴95.8

-28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.72 ₴32.88

77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.54 ₴24.72

103.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.20 ₴54.8

-40.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.60 ₴27.26

-18.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.72 ₴124

52.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$4.32 ₴197

305.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.83 ₴37.80

93.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.19 ₴54.4

133.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.34 ₴61.1

-13.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.32 ₴14.52

65.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.13 ₴97.2

13.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.80 ₴82.0

-19.44%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$30.3K ₴1.4M

-30.46%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$23.7K ₴1.1M

13.56%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$95.7 ₴4,359

-35.05%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$5.93 ₴270

105.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$6.78 ₴309

196.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$24.11 ₴1,098

54.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.50 ₴615

-72.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.62 ₴210

40.48%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$274 ₴12.5K

169.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$2,659 ₴121.1K

455.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$55.5 ₴2,526

-3.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$41.95 ₴1,910

-41.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$87.9 ₴4,002

4.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$104 ₴4,739

-30.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$274 ₴12.5K

75.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$188 ₴8,540

64.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$496 ₴22.6K

102.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$206 ₴9,368

207.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,043 ₴47.5K

126.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$595 ₴27.1K

166.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$516 ₴23.5K

14.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

17.89

-68.87%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kharkiv: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kharkiv

$188 26% 39.3% $121

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kharkiv

$159 22% 32.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kharkiv

$130 18% 19.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kharkiv

$108 15% 14.8% $14

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kharkiv

$101 14% 29.9% $23

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kharkiv

$2.9 * 0.4% 95.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kharkiv

$33 4.6% 33.7% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $274 in Kharkiv. 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 14% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $30 in Kharkiv. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $159 in Kharkiv – so Kharkiv wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇦 Kharkiv

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

23:36 11:36 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,447,652

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 UAH = 2.2 USD

100 UAH = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 45.54 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 50.69 UAH (100 UAH = 1.97 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kharkiv 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kharkiv

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 Kharkiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Kharkiv, 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 $1,083 in Kharkiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kharkiv, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $274 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $30 in Kharkiv. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kharkiv, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Kharkiv 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. Kharkiv costs $722 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Kharkiv. 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.