Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Surgut

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,150 in Surgut, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Surgut
Learn more

Surgut Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Surgut

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,150 in Surgut, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Surgut $1,150

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,725 in Surgut, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Surgut $1,725

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,300 in Surgut, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Surgut $2,300

Chiang Mai is about 19% cheaper than Surgut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Surgut are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Surgut 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$13.27 ₽1,070

-83.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$35.95 ₽2,899

-47.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.02 ₽566

-20.94%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.88 ₽232

-42.01%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.29 ₽104

-50.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.56 ₽44.81

-44.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.88 ₽151

25.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.95 ₽238

24.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.07 ₽86.0

82.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.70 ₽56.6

105.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.64 ₽132

-18.90%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.82 ₽147

25.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.90 ₽960

38.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.68 ₽377

-40.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.65 ₽939

-20.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.87 ₽151

25.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.66 ₽134

-41.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.86 ₽150

-13.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.90 ₽234

-48.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.81 ₽65.6

58.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.63 ₽50.5

74.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.16 ₽93.8

-38.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.68 ₽55.1

-27.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.00 ₽242

38.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.99 ₽644

119.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.06 ₽85.4

51.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.02 ₽163

37.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.61 ₽49.40

42.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$31.55 ₽2,545

71.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.57 ₽208

-54.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.32 ₽25.60

65.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.62 ₽534

-63.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.89 ₽71.6

62.92%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$58.9K ₽4.8M

-64.26%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$44.2K ₽3.6M

-39.06%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$128 ₽10.3K

-51.53%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$5.99 ₽483

103.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$9.34 ₽754

115.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$31.90 ₽2,573

16.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$28.41 ₽2,291

-86.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.09 ₽572

-8.46%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$376 ₽30.3K

95.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,161 ₽577.6K

106.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$85.1 ₽6,859

-37.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$53.7 ₽4,333

-54.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$123 ₽9,926

-25.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$106 ₽8,557

-32.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$461 ₽37.2K

4.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$364 ₽29.3K

-15.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$985 ₽79.5K

2.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$540 ₽43.5K

17.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,257 ₽182.1K

4.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,713 ₽138.2K

-7.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 26, 2026

Last update for Surgut: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Surgut

$364 31.6% 17.8% $55

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Surgut

$209 18.1% 11% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Surgut

$166 14.4% 52.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Surgut

$144 12.5% 52% $49

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Surgut

$184 16% 138% $107

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Surgut

$38 3.3% 37.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Surgut

$46 4% 8.3% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $461 in Surgut. 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 $36 in Surgut. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $209 in Surgut – so Surgut wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Surgut

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

406,938

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Surgut 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Surgut

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 Surgut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surgut costs about 23% 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 $1,725 in Surgut. 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 $461 in Surgut. 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 $376 in Surgut. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Surgut – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,150 in Surgut. 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 $1,150 in Surgut. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.