Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pyatigorsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Pyatigorsk: $826 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Pyatigorsk
Learn more

Pyatigorsk Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Pyatigorsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $826 in Pyatigorsk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Pyatigorsk $826

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $979 in Pyatigorsk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Pyatigorsk $979

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,133 in Pyatigorsk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Pyatigorsk $1,133

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Pyatigorsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Pyatigorsk are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Pyatigorsk 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$7.55 ₽630

-70.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$35.33 ₽2,948

-45.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$4.23 ₽353

32.15%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.83 ₽153

-6.01%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.84 ₽70.4

-23.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.38 ₽31.31

-13.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.16 ₽96.6

103.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$1.76 ₽147

121.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.20 ₽100

70.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.63 ₽52.5

122.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$0.62 ₽51.6

106.45%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.31 ₽109

71.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$9.55 ₽797

77.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$4.22 ₽352

-35.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$10.89 ₽909

-14.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.52 ₽127

57.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.75 ₽146

-42.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.89 ₽242

-47.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.59 ₽48.89

116.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.35 ₽29.17

217.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.68 ₽56.6

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$4.87 ₽407

264.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.86 ₽72.2

89.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.44 ₽120

97.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.47 ₽38.86

80.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.76 ₽146

-33.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.78 ₽65.5

85.90%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$156 ₽13.0K

-60.06%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$6.12 ₽511

100.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$7.35 ₽613

171.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$30.16 ₽2,517

25.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$4.83 ₽403

38.92%

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

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$70.2 ₽5,860

4.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$421 ₽35.1K

10.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$304 ₽25.3K

0.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,068 ₽89.1K

-14.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,139 ₽178.5K

-10.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,609 ₽134.3K

-10.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$728 ₽60.7K

-18.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

20.33

-72.60%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pyatigorsk: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Pyatigorsk

$304 36.8% 0.3% $1

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Pyatigorsk

$169 * 20.4% 29.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Pyatigorsk

$32 * 3.8% 71.1% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Pyatigorsk

$170 20.5% 79.2% $75

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Pyatigorsk

$109 13.2% 38.2% $30

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Pyatigorsk

$3.6 * 0.4% 94.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Pyatigorsk

$40 4.8% 22.5% $12

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 $421 in Pyatigorsk. 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 22% higher in Pyatigorsk, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $35.00 in Pyatigorsk. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $169 in Pyatigorsk – so Pyatigorsk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Pyatigorsk

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

11:36 11:36 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

146,262

💱 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 Pyatigorsk 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pyatigorsk

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 Pyatigorsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Pyatigorsk, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,239 in Pyatigorsk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pyatigorsk, 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 $826 in Pyatigorsk. That's a gap of about 14%.

Groceries cost about 41% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pyatigorsk, where all-in costs run around $826, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Pyatigorsk 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. Pyatigorsk costs $826 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 Pyatigorsk. 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.