Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Qapshaghay

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,082 in Qapshaghay, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Qapshaghay
Learn more

Qapshaghay Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,082

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,082 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Qapshaghay $1,082

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,631 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Qapshaghay $1,631

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,180 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Qapshaghay $2,180

Chiang Mai is about 14% cheaper than Qapshaghay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Qapshaghay are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Qapshaghay 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$11.02 ₸4,990

-79.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$22.49 ₸10.2K

-15.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.63 ₸3,002

-16.29%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.73 ₸783

-3.47%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.01 ₸458

-36.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.70 ₸318

-55.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.32 ₸596

78.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.32 ₸596

177.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.72 ₸779

13.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.44 ₸199

227.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$2.10 ₸951

-36.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.44 ₸1,105

-6.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$12.21 ₸5,533

34.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.60 ₸2,991

-57.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.80 ₸4,894

-13.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.81 ₸818

29.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.39 ₸1,081

-59.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.92 ₸1,322

-45.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.70 ₸1,223

-44.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.80 ₸362

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.56 ₸252

96.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.66 ₸752

-57.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.00 ₸452

-51.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.66 ₸753

149.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.95 ₸4,959

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.21 ₸547

33.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.37 ₸1,073

17.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.20 ₸92.7

335.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$18.05 ₸8,175

199.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.84 ₸383

38.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.70 ₸315

-24.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$3.91 ₸1,771

-38.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$0.60 ₸274

141.67%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$28.4K ₸12.8M

-25.73%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$31.0K ₸14.1M

-13.14%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$91.1 ₸41.3K

-31.75%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$10.77 ₸4,880

13.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$18.05 ₸8,177

11.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$41.86 ₸19.0K

-10.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.48 ₸2,937

0.15%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$142 ₸64.5K

416.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$4,442 ₸2.0M

232.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$93.2 ₸42.2K

-42.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$49.25 ₸22.3K

-49.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$142 ₸64.2K

-35.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$131 ₸59.1K

-44.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$443 ₸200.7K

8.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$308 ₸139.4K

0.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$721 ₸326.6K

39.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$503 ₸227.8K

25.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,131 ₸512.2K

109.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$757 ₸342.7K

110.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

20.65

-73.03%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Qapshaghay: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Qapshaghay

$308 28.4% 0.4% $1.1

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Qapshaghay

$245 22.7% 4.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Qapshaghay

$187 17.3% 71.8% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Qapshaghay

$120 11.1% 26.9% $25

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Qapshaghay

$145 13.4% 86.7% $67

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Qapshaghay

$23 2.1% 62.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Qapshaghay

$55 5.1% 9% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $443 in Qapshaghay. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $22 in Qapshaghay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $245 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

23:22 11:22 PM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

42,167

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Qapshaghay 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Qapshaghay

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 Qapshaghay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qapshaghay costs about 16% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,623 in Qapshaghay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $443 in Qapshaghay. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $142 in Qapshaghay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Qapshaghay, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,082 in Qapshaghay. 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 $1,082 in Qapshaghay. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.