Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kursk

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Kursk: $938 and $909 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Kursk
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Kursk Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Kursk

🇷🇺 Russia

$909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $909 in Kursk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Kursk $909

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,259 in Kursk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Kursk $1,259

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,610 in Kursk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Kursk $1,610

Chiang Mai costs about 3% more than Kursk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Kursk are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Kursk 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$9.66 ₽806

-76.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$44.65 ₽3,727

-57.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$4.99 ₽417

12.02%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.15 ₽179

-20.00%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.16 ₽96.6

-44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.49 ₽41.10

-32.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.82 ₽152

29.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.86 ₽238

36.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.72 ₽60.0

184.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.29 ₽24.11

382.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.03 ₽85.7

24.27%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.17 ₽97.9

92.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$4.98 ₽416

240.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$5.12 ₽427

-46.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$7.15 ₽597

30.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.60 ₽133

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.98 ₽82.1

3.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.98 ₽81.9

64.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.03 ₽169

-25.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.90 ₽75.4

42.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.29 ₽23.97

282.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.01 ₽84.5

-28.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.84 ₽70.2

-38.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.67 ₽223

62.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.94 ₽662

123.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.39 ₽116

17.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.28 ₽273

-13.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.39 ₽32.59

117.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.17 ₽97.8

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.46 ₽38.23

23.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$4.96 ₽414

-52.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.81 ₽67.3

79.01%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$27.8K ₽2.3M

-26.46%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$36.3K ₽3.0M

-26.92%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$110 ₽9,155

-43.18%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$5.80 ₽484

111.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$5.80 ₽484

244.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$6.46 ₽539

3.87%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$481 ₽40.2K

65.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$160 ₽13.4K

-66.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$130 ₽10.9K

-80.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$225 ₽18.8K

-59.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$72.1 ₽6,018

1.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$359 ₽30.0K

29.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$210 ₽17.6K

44.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-62.87%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kursk: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Kursk

$210 23.2% 30.9% $94

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Kursk

$156 17.1% 34.6% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Kursk

$264 29.1% 141% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Kursk

$121 13.3% 28.2% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Kursk

$139 15.3% 76.4% $60

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Kursk

$5 * 0.6% 91.8% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Kursk

$13 * 1.4% 74.9% $38

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 $359 in Kursk. 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 $45.00 in Kursk. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $156 in Kursk – so Kursk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Kursk

🕒 Local time

12:31 12:31 PM

08:31 8:31 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

450,977

💱 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Kursk 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kursk

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 Kursk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 3% more than Kursk, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,364 in Kursk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kursk, 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 $45.00 in Kursk. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kursk, where all-in costs run around $909, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Kursk 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. Kursk costs $909 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 Kursk. 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.