Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Serov

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,074 in Serov, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Serov
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Serov Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Serov

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,074 in Serov, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Serov $1,074

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,647 in Serov, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Serov $1,647

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,219 in Serov, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Serov $2,219

Chiang Mai is about 14% cheaper than Serov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Serov are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Serov 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$9.76 ₽814

-76.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$34.37 ₽2,869

-42.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.89 ₽492

-4.75%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.53 ₽211

-34.39%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.02 ₽85.0

-31.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.61 ₽50.8

-49.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.93 ₽161

24.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.07 ₽256

20.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.30 ₽109

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.78 ₽65.2

80.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.23 ₽103

6.50%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.63 ₽136

33.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$12.63 ₽1,054

31.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$5.03 ₽420

-45.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$10.31 ₽860

-11.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.87 ₽156

27.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.79 ₽149

-42.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.81 ₽151

-9.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$3.12 ₽260

-51.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.73 ₽60.5

76.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.56 ₽46.63

98.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.35 ₽113

-46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.71 ₽58.9

-25.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.26 ₽272

32.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$7.56 ₽631

137.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.03 ₽85.9

53.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.74 ₽145

63.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.62 ₽51.6

38.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$2.74 ₽229

-55.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.40 ₽33.28

42.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$5.15 ₽430

-54.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.72 ₽60.1

100.00%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$55.9K ₽4.7M

-62.90%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$44.7K ₽3.7M

-40.02%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$124 ₽10.4K

-49.75%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$5.67 ₽473

113.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$7.30 ₽609

173.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$36.44 ₽3,041

1.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$24.15 ₽2,016

-84.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.97 ₽582

-6.74%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$371 ₽30.9K

113.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$6,911 ₽576.8K

114.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$74.7 ₽6,238

-28.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$47.40 ₽3,956

-48.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$132 ₽11.0K

-31.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$96.4 ₽8,045

-26.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$405 ₽33.8K

12.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$364 ₽30.3K

-18.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$893 ₽74.6K

1.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$623 ₽52.0K

-11.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$2,348 ₽196.0K

-17.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,629 ₽135.9K

-11.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.45

-74.03%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Serov: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Serov

$364 33.8% 22% $66

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Serov

$210 19.6% 10.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Serov

$158 14.7% 45.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Serov

$137 12.8% 45.2% $43

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Serov

$148 13.8% 88.9% $70

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Serov

$7.2 * 0.7% 88.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Serov

$50 4.7% 0.6% $0.3

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 $405 in Serov. 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 $34.00 in Serov. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $210 in Serov – so Serov wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Serov

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

97,366

💱 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 Serov 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Serov

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 Serov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Serov costs about 16% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,611 in Serov. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, 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 $34.00 in Serov. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Serov – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Serov at $1,074. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Serov it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,074 in Serov. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Serov makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.