Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shakhty

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,093 in Shakhty, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Shakhty
Learn more

Shakhty Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Shakhty

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,093

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,093 in Shakhty, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Shakhty $1,093

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,759 in Shakhty, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Shakhty $1,759

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,425 in Shakhty, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Shakhty $2,425

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

Both Chiang Mai and Shakhty are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Shakhty 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$11.00 ₽897

-80.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$39.00 ₽3,181

-52.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$7.00 ₽571

-20.00%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.70 ₽220

-38.52%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$1.21 ₽98.7

-46.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.67 ₽54.5

-55.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$1.95 ₽159

18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.39 ₽276

8.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$1.32 ₽108

53.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$0.70 ₽57.3

101.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$1.35 ₽110

2.96%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.58 ₽129

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$12.78 ₽1,042

29.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$6.03 ₽492

-55.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$11.11 ₽906

-18.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$1.79 ₽146

34.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$1.76 ₽143

-40.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.90 ₽155

-12.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$3.03 ₽247

-48.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$0.74 ₽60.7

67.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$0.67 ₽54.5

62.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$1.30 ₽106

-41.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.64 ₽52.1

-20.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.31 ₽270

24.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$7.97 ₽650

124.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.11 ₽90.6

45.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$2.04 ₽166

38.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.61 ₽49.53

52.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$27.96 ₽2,281

89.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$2.17 ₽177

-45.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$0.37 ₽30.17

-54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$6.53 ₽533

-72.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$0.74 ₽60.5

98.65%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$60.6K ₽4.9M

-65.35%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$41.8K ₽3.4M

-36.56%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$116 ₽9,447

-45.99%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$6.61 ₽539

75.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$9.09 ₽742

123.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$31.91 ₽2,602

18.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$21.30 ₽1,737

-82.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$5.55 ₽452

17.30%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$353 ₽28.8K

105.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$5,630 ₽459.2K

194.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$100 ₽8,179

-46.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$46.27 ₽3,774

-46.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$154 ₽12.6K

-41.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$107 ₽8,690

-32.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$454 ₽37.0K

6.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$317 ₽25.8K

-2.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$1,020 ₽83.2K

3.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$663 ₽54.0K

-0.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$2,215 ₽180.7K

9.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$1,401 ₽114.3K

14.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.33

-73.89%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Shakhty: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Shakhty

$317 29% 2.3% $7

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Shakhty

$218 20% 7.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Shakhty

$183 16.8% 69.2% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Shakhty

$132 12% 39.2% $37

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Shakhty

$165 15.1% 116% $89

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Shakhty

$34 3.2% 41.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Shakhty

$43 3.9% 15.5% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $454 in Shakhty. 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 $39 in Shakhty. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $218 in Shakhty – so Shakhty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Shakhty

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

235,492

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 RUB = 1.23 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.6 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Shakhty 6,160 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shakhty

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 Shakhty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shakhty costs about 17% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,639 in Shakhty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Chiang Mai and $454 in Shakhty. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $353 in Shakhty. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Shakhty – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,093 in Shakhty. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,093 in Shakhty. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.