Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nukus

For one person, living is cheaper in Nukus: $633 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Nukus
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Nukus Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Nukus

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$633

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $633 in Nukus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Nukus $633

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $885 in Nukus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Nukus $885

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,138 in Nukus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Nukus $1,138

Chiang Mai costs about 48% more than Nukus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Nukus are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Nukus 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$9.64 UZS 116.2K

-76.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$34.00 UZS 409.7K

-43.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$4.85 UZS 58.5K

15.26%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.56 UZS 18.9K

10.26%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.90 UZS 10.9K

-28.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.75 UZS 9,025

-56.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$0.97 UZS 11.7K

143.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.20 UZS 14.5K

70.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.26 UZS 3,147

438.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.57 UZS 18.9K

-18.47%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.26 UZS 15.2K

78.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$4.99 UZS 60.1K

239.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$3.40 UZS 41.0K

-19.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$7.66 UZS 92.3K

22.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.01 UZS 12.2K

137.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.59 UZS 31.2K

-61.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$3.30 UZS 39.8K

-51.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.27 UZS 15.3K

19.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.52 UZS 6,232

146.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.33 UZS 3,943

236.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.40 UZS 4,860

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.48 UZS 5,726

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$1.71 UZS 20.6K

153.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$2.95 UZS 35.6K

501.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.57 UZS 6,918

185.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.24 UZS 2,863

254.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.61 UZS 7,366

91.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.64 UZS 7,679

-10.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$2.55 UZS 30.7K

-7.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.33 UZS 16.0K

9.02%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$42.3K UZS 510.1M

-51.63%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$32.1K UZS 386.7M

-17.38%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$25.60 UZS 308.5K

143.48%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$2.50 UZS 30.1K

390.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$10.16 UZS 122.4K

96.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$107 UZS 1.3M

-64.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$6.87 UZS 82.8K

-45.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$2.67 UZS 32.2K

151.31%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$18.50 UZS 222.9K

187.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$21.31 UZS 256.8K

17.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$59.3 UZS 714.6K

23.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$213 UZS 2.6M

118.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$171 UZS 2.1M

78.27%

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

$161 UZS 1.9M

270.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-80.11%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nukus: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Nukus

$171 27% 43.9% $134

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Nukus

$139 * 22% 41.4% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Nukus

$45 * 7.1% 59.3% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Nukus

$38 6.1% 59.6% $56

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Nukus

$122 * 19.3% 54.3% $43

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Nukus

$4.8 * 0.8% 92.3% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Nukus

$113 17.8% 120% $61

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 $213 in Nukus. 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 270% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $34.00 in Nukus. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $139 in Nukus – so Nukus wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇿 Nukus

🕒 Local time

00:35 12:35 AM

22:35 10:35 PM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

335,491

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UZS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 12,051 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.3 USD). 1 EUR = 13,549 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.38 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Chiang Mai Nukus 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nukus

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 Nukus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 48% more than Nukus, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $949 in Nukus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nukus, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $938 in Chiang Mai and $633 in Nukus. That's a gap of about 48%.

Groceries cost about 71% 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 Nukus, where all-in costs run around $633, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Nukus 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. Nukus costs $633 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 Nukus. 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.