Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Novosibirsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,105 in Novosibirsk, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Novosibirsk
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Novosibirsk Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,105 in Novosibirsk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Novosibirsk $1,105

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,760 in Novosibirsk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Novosibirsk $1,760

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,416 in Novosibirsk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Novosibirsk $2,416

Chiang Mai is about 15% cheaper than Novosibirsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Novosibirsk are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Novosibirsk 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$11.39 ₽951

-80.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$48.13 ₽4,017

-60.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$5.87 ₽490

-4.77%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.75 ₽229

-37.45%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.10 ₽92.0

-41.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.56 ₽46.98

-41.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.22 ₽102

93.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.65 ₽305

6.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.20 ₽100

70.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.66 ₽54.8

112.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.35 ₽113

-5.19%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.65 ₽137

36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$11.69 ₽976

44.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$4.59 ₽383

-40.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$11.87 ₽991

-21.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.87 ₽156

28.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.74 ₽145

-41.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.99 ₽166

-19.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$3.25 ₽271

-53.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.79 ₽66.1

62.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.63 ₽52.7

76.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.45 ₽121

-50.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.80 ₽67.1

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.16 ₽264

37.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$10.04 ₽838

76.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.94 ₽78.3

73.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.69 ₽141

68.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.55 ₽46.02

54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$28.65 ₽2,391

88.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.43 ₽203

-51.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.50 ₽41.34

14.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$5.88 ₽491

-59.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.80 ₽66.6

81.25%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$24.3K ₽2.0M

-15.72%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$33.0K ₽2.8M

-19.68%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$108 ₽9,012

-42.27%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$7.19 ₽600

70.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$8.18 ₽683

144.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$36.00 ₽3,004

5.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$29.88 ₽2,494

-87.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$6.95 ₽580

-3.45%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$299 ₽24.9K

166.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$68.7 ₽5,732

-22.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$46.29 ₽3,863

-45.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$138 ₽11.5K

-33.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$96.7 ₽8,073

-24.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$530 ₽44.2K

-12.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$361 ₽30.1K

-15.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,004 ₽83.8K

-8.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$662 ₽55.2K

-16.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,307 ₽192.5K

-17.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,766 ₽147.4K

-18.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$864 ₽72.1K

-31.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

22.83

-75.60%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Novosibirsk: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Novosibirsk

$361 32.7% 18.5% $56

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Novosibirsk

$215 19.5% 9.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Novosibirsk

$157 14.2% 43.6% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Novosibirsk

$123 11.2% 30.4% $29

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Novosibirsk

$162 14.7% 105% $83

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Novosibirsk

$36 3.2% 41.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Novosibirsk

$50 4.5% 2.8% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $530 in Novosibirsk. 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 45% higher in Novosibirsk, 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 $48.00 in Novosibirsk. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $215 in Novosibirsk – so Novosibirsk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Novosibirsk

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,620,162

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Novosibirsk 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Novosibirsk

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 Novosibirsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novosibirsk costs about 18% 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 $1,657 in Novosibirsk. 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.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $299 in Novosibirsk. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Novosibirsk – 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 Novosibirsk at $1,105. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Novosibirsk it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,105 in Novosibirsk. 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, Novosibirsk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.