Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Polevskoy

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Polevskoy: $925 and $919 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Polevskoy
Learn more

Polevskoy Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Polevskoy

🇷🇺 Russia

$919

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $919 in Polevskoy, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Polevskoy $919

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,412 in Polevskoy, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Polevskoy $1,412

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,906 in Polevskoy, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Polevskoy $1,906

Chiang Mai costs about 1% more than Polevskoy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Polevskoy are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Polevskoy 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$8.70 ₽726

-73.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$32.59 ₽2,720

-39.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.35 ₽447

4.86%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.72 ₽227

-38.97%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.14 ₽95.0

-38.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.66 ₽54.7

-53.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$3.66 ₽305

-34.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.73 ₽395

-21.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.16 ₽96.4

68.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.84 ₽70.4

67.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.22 ₽102

7.38%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.49 ₽124

46.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$10.72 ₽895

55.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.76 ₽398

-42.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$11.29 ₽942

-19.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.98 ₽166

20.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.79 ₽150

-42.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.17 ₽181

-24.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.71 ₽226

-44.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.83 ₽69.6

55.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.72 ₽60.0

54.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.85 ₽155

-61.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.52 ₽43.25

1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.94 ₽245

46.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$6.36 ₽531

182.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$0.87 ₽72.5

81.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.77 ₽148

60.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.60 ₽50.0

43.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$2.36 ₽197

-48.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.37 ₽30.93

54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$7.11 ₽593

-66.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.80 ₽66.7

80.00%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$53.3K ₽4.4M

-61.10%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$41.2K ₽3.4M

-34.93%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$93.3 ₽7,790

-33.22%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$6.92 ₽578

75.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$9.32 ₽778

113.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$32.24 ₽2,691

14.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$27.42 ₽2,288

-86.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$5.94 ₽496

9.43%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$374 ₽31.2K

112.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$5,915 ₽493.7K

150.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$48.76 ₽4,069

10.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$30.22 ₽2,523

-18.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$91.6 ₽7,643

-0.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$54.2 ₽4,526

31.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$413 ₽34.5K

10.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$303 ₽25.3K

-1.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$940 ₽78.5K

-3.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$492 ₽41.1K

12.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$2,242 ₽187.1K

-13.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,461 ₽121.9K

-1.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

20.32

-72.59%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Polevskoy: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Polevskoy

$303 33% 1.7% $5.1

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Polevskoy

$202 21.9% 14.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Polevskoy

$101 11% 6.5% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Polevskoy

$110 11.9% 16.1% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Polevskoy

$153 16.7% 94.9% $75

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Polevskoy

$6.6 * 0.7% 89.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Polevskoy

$44 4.8% 11.8% $5.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $413 in Polevskoy. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $33.00 in Polevskoy. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $202 in Polevskoy – so Polevskoy wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Polevskoy

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

55,182

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Polevskoy 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Polevskoy

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 Polevskoy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 1% more than Polevskoy, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,379 in Polevskoy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Polevskoy, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $33.00 in Polevskoy. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% 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 Polevskoy, where all-in costs run around $919, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Polevskoy 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. Polevskoy costs $919 versus $925 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 Polevskoy. 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.