Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Khimki

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Khimki: $938 and $929 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Khimki
Learn more

Khimki Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Khimki

🇷🇺 Russia

$929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $929 in Khimki, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Khimki $929

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,448 in Khimki, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Khimki $1,448

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,967 in Khimki, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Khimki $1,967

Chiang Mai costs about 1% more than Khimki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Khimki are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Khimki 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$5.94 ₽496

-61.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$29.71 ₽2,479

-35.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$7.81 ₽652

-28.43%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.73 ₽228

-37.00%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.97 ₽81.3

-34.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.57 ₽47.62

-42.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$0.98 ₽81.9

140.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$1.46 ₽122

167.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.92 ₽76.7

122.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.83 ₽68.9

68.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.16 ₽96.5

10.34%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.54 ₽128

46.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$8.85 ₽739

91.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$4.94 ₽412

-44.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$12.04 ₽1,005

-22.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.65 ₽138

45.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.40 ₽117

-27.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.54 ₽128

4.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.58 ₽216

-41.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.71 ₽59.2

80.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.37 ₽31.26

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.46 ₽122

-50.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.44 ₽36.75

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.16 ₽181

100.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.35 ₽613

141.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.75 ₽63.0

117.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.52 ₽127

87.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.59 ₽48.91

44.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$3.51 ₽293

-66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.19 ₽16.26

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$3.63 ₽303

-34.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.83 ₽69.5

74.70%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$35.6K ₽3.0M

-42.56%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$48.5K ₽4.0M

-45.29%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$104 ₽8,709

-40.27%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$3.53 ₽295

247.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$4.64 ₽388

330.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$34.92 ₽2,914

8.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$24.20 ₽2,020

-84.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$5.84 ₽488

14.90%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$182 ₽15.2K

338.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$3,559 ₽297.1K

316.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$41.46 ₽3,461

28.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$24.07 ₽2,009

4.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$144 ₽12.0K

-36.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$119 ₽9,955

-38.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$471 ₽39.3K

-1.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$310 ₽25.9K

-1.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$881 ₽73.5K

3.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$572 ₽47.7K

-3.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,200 ₽183.6K

-13.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,483 ₽123.8K

-3.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-72.15%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Khimki: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Khimki

$310 33.4% 1.9% $5.8

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Khimki

$187 20.1% 21.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Khimki

$148 15.9% 34.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Khimki

$113 12.1% 19% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Khimki

$118 12.7% 49.1% $39

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Khimki

$6.8 * 0.7% 88.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Khimki

$47 5% 9.2% $4.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $471 in Khimki. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $30.00 in Khimki. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $187 in Khimki – so Khimki wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Khimki

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

09:10 9:10 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

232,066

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Khimki 6,530 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Khimki

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 Khimki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 1% more than Khimki, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,393 in Khimki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $30.00 in Khimki. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Khimki, where all-in costs run around $929, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Khimki 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. Khimki costs $929 versus $938 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 Khimki. 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.