Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Makhachkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,009 in Makhachkala, rent and utilities included – about $850 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
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Makhachkala Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,009 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Makhachkala $1,009

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,562 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Makhachkala $1,562

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,115 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Makhachkala $2,115

Chiang Mai is about 7% cheaper than Makhachkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Makhachkala are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Makhachkala 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$10.20 ₽851

-77.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$31.73 ₽2,648

-39.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$5.48 ₽457

2.01%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.65 ₽221

-35.09%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.17 ₽98.0

-45.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.61 ₽51.1

-45.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.94 ₽162

21.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.94 ₽246

32.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.10 ₽91.6

86.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.71 ₽58.9

97.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.41 ₽118

-9.22%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.53 ₽127

47.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$10.99 ₽917

54.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$5.39 ₽450

-49.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$11.03 ₽921

-15.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.70 ₽142

41.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.75 ₽146

-42.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.75 ₽146

-8.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.78 ₽232

-45.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.81 ₽67.4

58.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.61 ₽51.1

81.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.23 ₽103

-41.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.74 ₽61.8

-29.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.33 ₽278

30.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.92 ₽661

123.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.10 ₽91.4

48.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.02 ₽168

41.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.54 ₽44.80

57.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.70 ₽225

-56.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.40 ₽33.48

42.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$5.71 ₽477

-58.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.84 ₽70.2

72.62%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$41.0K ₽3.4M

-50.02%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$37.4K ₽3.1M

-29.02%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$110 ₽9,172

-43.28%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$5.49 ₽458

123.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$8.44 ₽705

136.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$35.62 ₽2,973

6.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$23.57 ₽1,967

-84.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$6.13 ₽512

9.46%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$348 ₽29.1K

128.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$5,288 ₽441.3K

180.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$80.1 ₽6,688

-33.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$54.1 ₽4,518

-53.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$102 ₽8,539

-10.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$112 ₽9,353

-34.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$460 ₽38.4K

0.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$315 ₽26.3K

-3.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$891 ₽74.4K

2.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$556 ₽46.4K

-0.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,226 ₽185.8K

-14.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,492 ₽124.5K

-3.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$622 ₽51.9K

-4.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.45

-74.03%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Makhachkala: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Makhachkala

$315 31.2% 3.4% $10

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Makhachkala

$206 20.4% 13.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Makhachkala

$157 15.6% 43.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Makhachkala

$124 12.3% 30.9% $29

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Makhachkala

$153 15.1% 93.2% $74

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Makhachkala

$6.9 * 0.7% 88.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Makhachkala

$48 4.8% 6.7% $3.5

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 $460 in Makhachkala. 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 5% higher in Makhachkala, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $32.00 in Makhachkala. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $206 in Makhachkala – so Makhachkala wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

11:43 11:43 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

604,266

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Makhachkala 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Makhachkala

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 Makhachkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makhachkala costs about 7% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,513 in Makhachkala. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $32.00 in Makhachkala. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Makhachkala – 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 $938, than in Makhachkala at $1,009. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Makhachkala it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,009 in Makhachkala. 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, Makhachkala makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.