Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shymkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $808 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$808

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $808 in Shymkent, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Shymkent $808

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,390 in Shymkent, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Shymkent $1,390

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,971 in Shymkent, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Shymkent $1,971

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Shymkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Shymkent are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Shymkent 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$11.25 ₸5,086

-79.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$33.35 ₸15.1K

-41.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$6.50 ₸2,938

-13.69%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.54 ₸1,147

-34.65%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.03 ₸467

-32.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.54 ₸246

-42.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.09 ₸492

121.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$1.35 ₸609

174.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.46 ₸661

33.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.41 ₸184

243.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.79 ₸811

-26.82%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.73 ₸783

26.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$10.04 ₸4,538

65.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$5.26 ₸2,376

-47.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$8.98 ₸4,059

1.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.19 ₸538

100.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.12 ₸957

-51.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.58 ₸1,166

-36.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.35 ₸610

11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.55 ₸250

134.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.41 ₸184

170.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.88 ₸397

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.83 ₸376

-36.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.46 ₸1,114

75.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$4.55 ₸2,057

294.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.03 ₸466

53.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.51 ₸683

88.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.14 ₸64.0

514.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.87 ₸395

39.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.34 ₸156

67.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$10.02 ₸4,532

-76.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.64 ₸291

125.00%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$27.2K ₸12.3M

-23.72%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$29.0K ₸13.1M

-7.74%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$47.29 ₸21.4K

31.80%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$9.60 ₸4,338

26.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$14.79 ₸6,685

34.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$38.82 ₸17.5K

-4.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$8.82 ₸3,986

-57.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$5.68 ₸2,567

14.44%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$57.8 ₸26.1K

1272.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$37.55 ₸17.0K

43.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$33.85 ₸15.3K

-27.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$187 ₸84.4K

-51.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$52.9 ₸23.9K

34.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$338 ₸153.0K

34.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$203 ₸92.0K

46.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$698 ₸315.6K

30.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$545 ₸246.2K

1.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,104 ₸499.1K

74.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$986 ₸445.6K

46.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$442 ₸199.6K

33.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

18.25

-69.48%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Shymkent

$203 25.2% 31.7% $94

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Shymkent

$185 22.9% 21.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Shymkent

$140 17.3% 29.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Shymkent

$72 8.9% 24.1% $23

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Shymkent

$154 19.1% 96.5% $76

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Shymkent

$3.2 * 0.4% 94.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Shymkent

$50 6.2% 0.2% $0.1

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 $338 in Shymkent. 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 34% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $33.00 in Shymkent. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $185 in Shymkent – so Shymkent wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

18:34 6:34 PM

1 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,222,055

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Shymkent 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shymkent

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 Shymkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Shymkent, 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 $1,212 in Shymkent. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shymkent, 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 $33.00 in Shymkent. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shymkent, where all-in costs run around $808, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Shymkent 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. Shymkent costs $808 versus $925 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 Shymkent. 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.