Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Korolyov

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,310 in Korolyov, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Korolyov
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Korolyov Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Korolyov

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,310 in Korolyov, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Korolyov $1,310

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,911 in Korolyov, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Korolyov $1,911

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,512 in Korolyov, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Korolyov $2,512

Chiang Mai is about 29% cheaper than Korolyov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiang Mai and Korolyov are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Korolyov 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$12.06 ₽1,006

-81.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$61.0 ₽5,093

-67.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$7.42 ₽619

-24.39%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.79 ₽233

-40.50%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.99 ₽82.6

-29.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.55 ₽45.79

-43.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.02 ₽84.9

136.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$1.46 ₽122

154.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.28 ₽107

52.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.87 ₽72.9

62.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.22 ₽102

7.38%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.58 ₽132

37.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$8.83 ₽737

88.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$6.11 ₽510

-54.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$12.00 ₽1,002

-24.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.61 ₽134

48.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.42 ₽119

-27.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.52 ₽127

7.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$3.62 ₽302

-58.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.73 ₽60.9

76.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.41 ₽33.95

170.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.47 ₽123

-51.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.95 ₽79.0

-44.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.24 ₽187

92.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$10.95 ₽914

63.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$0.79 ₽65.6

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.54 ₽129

84.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.95 ₽79.2

-9.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$3.67 ₽306

-67.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.17 ₽14.61

235.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$3.67 ₽306

-35.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.90 ₽75.2

60.00%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$42.6K ₽3.6M

-51.38%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$39.1K ₽3.3M

-31.47%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$129 ₽10.8K

-51.85%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$4.69 ₽392

158.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$8.49 ₽709

134.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$145 ₽12.1K

-74.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$5.43 ₽453

19.71%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$179 ₽14.9K

343.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$3,611 ₽301.4K

310.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$61.3 ₽5,117

-12.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$30.32 ₽2,530

-18.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$143 ₽12.0K

-36.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$120 ₽10.0K

-40.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$551 ₽46.0K

-17.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$462 ₽38.6K

-35.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$816 ₽68.1K

11.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$536 ₽44.7K

3.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$2,427 ₽202.6K

-20.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$2,166 ₽180.7K

-33.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,197 ₽99.9K

-50.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

19.56

-71.52%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Korolyov: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Korolyov

$462 35.3% 55.2% $164

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Korolyov

$216 16.5% 8.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Korolyov

$160 12.2% 47.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Korolyov

$143 10.9% 51.1% $48

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Korolyov

$166 12.7% 112% $88

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Korolyov

$8.3 * 0.6% 86.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Korolyov

$155 11.9% 210% $105

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $551 in Korolyov. 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 103% higher in Korolyov, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $61.0 in Korolyov. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $216 in Korolyov – so Korolyov wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Korolyov

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

15:34 3:34 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

225,299

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Korolyov 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Korolyov

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 Korolyov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Korolyov costs about 42% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,965 in Korolyov. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $61.0 in Korolyov. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Korolyov – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Korolyov at $1,310. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Korolyov it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,310 in Korolyov. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Korolyov makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.