Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nakhodka

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,257 in Nakhodka, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Nakhodka
Learn more

Nakhodka Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nakhodka

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,257 in Nakhodka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nakhodka $1,257

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,834 in Nakhodka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nakhodka $1,834

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,411 in Nakhodka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nakhodka $2,411

Chiang Mai is about 26% cheaper than Nakhodka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Nakhodka are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Nakhodka 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$12.58 ₽1,006

-82.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$36.63 ₽2,930

-48.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.73 ₽538

-17.53%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.56 ₽285

-53.09%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.23 ₽98.0

-47.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.75 ₽60.3

-58.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.51 ₽121

56.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.33 ₽186

57.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.74 ₽139

12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.70 ₽55.7

105.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.94 ₽74.9

41.49%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.43 ₽194

-6.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$10.17 ₽813

61.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.29 ₽503

-55.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.86 ₽949

-21.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$3.05 ₽244

-22.95%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$2.17 ₽174

-55.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.79 ₽223

-42.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.84 ₽307

-60.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.78 ₽62.0

64.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.64 ₽51.3

71.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.34 ₽108

-47.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.11 ₽88.7

-55.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.02 ₽241

37.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$7.90 ₽632

121.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.25 ₽100.0

28.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.43 ₽194

14.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.71 ₽57.0

22.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.41 ₽112

-17.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.63 ₽50.7

-15.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$5.84 ₽467

-58.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.86 ₽68.8

68.60%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$46.7K ₽3.7M

-54.89%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$30.0K ₽2.4M

-10.21%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$230 ₽18.4K

-72.92%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$8.10 ₽648

50.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$9.37 ₽749

114.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$48.63 ₽3,890

-23.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.03 ₽482

7.63%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$849 ₽67.9K

-13.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$134 ₽10.7K

-60.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$68.7 ₽5,493

-64.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$123 ₽9,845

-25.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$129 ₽10.3K

-44.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$427 ₽34.1K

13.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$310 ₽24.8K

-0.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$621 ₽49.7K

62.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$432 ₽34.5K

46.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,647 ₽131.7K

43.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,030 ₽82.4K

54.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$524 ₽41.9K

12.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

23.6

-76.40%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nakhodka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nakhodka

$310 24.7% 0.5% $1.5

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nakhodka

$243 19.4% 3.8% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nakhodka

$205 16.3% 88.5% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nakhodka

$247 19.7% 162% $153

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nakhodka

$184 14.6% 137% $106

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nakhodka

$7.4 * 0.6% 87.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nakhodka

$61 4.8% 20.7% $10

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 $427 in Nakhodka. 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 13% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Nakhodka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $243 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Nakhodka

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

21:07 9:07 PM

3 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

142,673

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 RUB = 1.25 USD

100 RUB = 1.12 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 79.99 RUB (100 RUB = 1.25 USD). 1 EUR = 89.26 RUB (100 RUB = 1.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Nakhodka 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nakhodka

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 Nakhodka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nakhodka costs about 34% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,886 in Nakhodka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nakhodka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $427 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $37 in Nakhodka. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Nakhodka, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,257 in Nakhodka. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,257 in Nakhodka. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.