Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Quba

For one person, living is cheaper in Quba: $557 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Quba
Learn more

Quba Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Quba

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $557 in Quba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Quba $557

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $891 in Quba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Quba $891

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,224 in Quba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Quba $1,224

Chiang Mai costs about 68% more than Quba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Quba are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Quba 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$8.19 ₼13.92

-72.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$29.29 ₼49.78

-35.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.86 ₼9.96

-5.29%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.16 ₼1.97

43.97%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.46 ₼0.78

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.28 ₼0.47

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.19 ₼2.03

98.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.39 ₼4.06

53.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.30 ₼2.22

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.35 ₼0.60

311.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.15 ₼1.96

15.65%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.12 ₼1.90

103.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$1.75 ₼2.97

840.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.90 ₼4.93

-4.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.81 ₼14.97

5.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$0.62 ₼1.06

279.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.27 ₼2.17

-23.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.43 ₼2.43

11.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.05 ₼1.78

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.61 ₼1.03

109.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.52 ₼0.89

111.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.44 ₼0.74

61.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.59 ₼1.01

-16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.61 ₼6.13

14.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.25 ₼8.92

233.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.92 ₼1.57

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.90 ₼3.23

46.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.27 ₼0.46

222.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.16 ₼1.97

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.30 ₼0.51

76.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$2.88 ₼4.90

-15.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$0.62 ₼1.05

133.87%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$26.9K ₼45.8K

-21.79%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$26.0K ₼44.1K

3.80%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$33.05 ₼56.2

88.11%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$12.79 ₼21.74

-4.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$14.85 ₼25.23

35.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$38.14 ₼64.8

-2.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.05 ₼6.88

60.25%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$274 ₼466

168.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$16.1K ₼27.4K

-8.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$17.73 ₼30.13

201.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$29.76 ₼50.6

-17.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$129 ₼219

-29.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$34.99 ₼59.5

105.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$179 ₼304

169.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$116 ₼197

165.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$267 ₼453

277.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$177 ₼300

258.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$209 ₼354

182.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-72.15%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quba: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Quba

$116 20.9% 62.4% $193

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Quba

$124 22.3% 47% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Quba

$95 17.1% 12.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Quba

$61 10.9% 35.8% $34

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Quba

$111 19.9% 42.7% $33

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Quba

$3.8 * 0.7% 93.9% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Quba

$46 8.3% 8% $4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $179 in Quba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $29 in Quba. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $124 in Quba – so Quba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇿 Quba

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

25,400

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.527 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, 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).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.9 AZN (1 AZN = 0.527 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Quba 5,370 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Quba

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 Quba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 68% more than Quba, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $835 in Quba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $179 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $29 in Quba. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 89% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $557 in Quba, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Quba – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Quba. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.