Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Khujand

For one person, living is cheaper in Khujand: $681 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Khujand
Learn more

Khujand Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Khujand

🇹🇯 Tajikistan

$681

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $681 in Khujand, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Khujand $681

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,082 in Khujand, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Khujand $1,082

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,484 in Khujand, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Khujand $1,484

Chiang Mai costs about 37% more than Khujand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Khujand are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Khujand 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.76 TJS 43.90

-52.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$17.28 TJS 159

9.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.51 TJS 50.8

0.73%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.66 TJS 15.26

0.60%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.56 TJS 5.16

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.32 TJS 2.93

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.16 TJS 10.73

103.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.30 TJS 21.18

59.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.02 TJS 9.39

91.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.52 TJS 4.80

176.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.77 TJS 16.36

-24.86%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.83 TJS 16.85

24.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.98 TJS 101

49.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.29 TJS 30.31

-15.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.33 TJS 104

-17.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.47 TJS 13.50

59.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.30 TJS 21.19

-57.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.59 TJS 23.83

-38.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.56 TJS 5.15

167.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.48 TJS 4.39

166.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.33 TJS 3.02

233.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.27 TJS 11.72

-44.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.56 TJS 5.17

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.12 TJS 19.55

95.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.51 TJS 106

52.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.47 TJS 13.54

9.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.14 TJS 19.73

29.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.32 TJS 2.94

171.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.11 TJS 10.22

4.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.32 TJS 2.93

65.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$5.31 TJS 48.95

-54.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.17 TJS 10.79

23.93%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$16.4K TJS 150.8K

28.72%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$16.8K TJS 154.7K

60.46%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$46.55 TJS 429

33.56%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$6.22 TJS 57.4

95.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$16.88 TJS 156

19.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$27.56 TJS 254

35.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.12 TJS 149

-76.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.37 TJS 40.24

48.51%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$82.5 TJS 760

792.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$5,685 TJS 52.4K

159.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$20.64 TJS 190

158.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$35.69 TJS 329

-30.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$50.5 TJS 465

81.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$55.4 TJS 511

29.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$271 TJS 2,499

77.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$214 TJS 1,973

44.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$506 TJS 4,664

98.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$440 TJS 4,051

44.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$872 TJS 8,034

171.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$550 TJS 5,070

188.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$357 TJS 3,294

65.03%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Khujand: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Khujand

$214 31.4% 30.7% $95

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Khujand

$196 28.8% 16.4% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Khujand

$73 10.7% 32.8% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Khujand

$70 10.2% 26.3% $25

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Khujand

$88 13% 14% $11

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Khujand

$4 * 0.6% 93.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Khujand

$36 5.3% 27.8% $14

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 $271 in Khujand. 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 65% 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 $17 in Khujand. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $196 – making Khujand the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇯 Khujand

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

00:04 12:04 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

181,600

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tajikistani Somoni TJS ЅМ

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TJS = 10.85 USD

100 TJS = 9.72 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Tajikistani Somoni exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 TJS (1 TJS = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.29 TJS (100 TJS = 9.72 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Khujand 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Khujand

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 Khujand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 37% more than Khujand, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,022 in Khujand. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Khujand, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $271 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $17 in Khujand. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% 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 $681 in Khujand, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Khujand – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Khujand. 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.