Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Taldykorgan

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Taldykorgan: $938 and $935 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Taldykorgan
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Taldykorgan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Taldykorgan

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $935 in Taldykorgan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Taldykorgan $935

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,208 in Taldykorgan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Taldykorgan $1,208

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,481 in Taldykorgan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Taldykorgan $1,481

Chiang Mai and Taldykorgan have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Taldykorgan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Taldykorgan 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$4.49 ₸2,029

-49.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$21.99 ₸9,942

-12.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$9.11 ₸4,119

-38.64%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.35 ₸611

27.41%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.46 ₸207

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.32 ₸144

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$0.87 ₸394

171.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$1.31 ₸593

197.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.24 ₸559

65.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.41 ₸185

241.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.56 ₸707

-17.95%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.30 ₸588

73.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$12.51 ₸5,657

35.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$6.50 ₸2,936

-57.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$6.26 ₸2,830

49.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.85 ₸835

29.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.35 ₸1,062

-57.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$3.02 ₸1,364

-46.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.64 ₸740

-7.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.75 ₸339

70.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.21 ₸94.8

428.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.08 ₸487

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.03 ₸466

-49.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$1.95 ₸883

122.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.99 ₸3,613

121.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.21 ₸547

34.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.20 ₸993

29.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.17 ₸75.7

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$16.78 ₸7,586

221.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.97 ₸439

20.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.69 ₸311

-17.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$11.08 ₸5,007

-78.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.59 ₸265

145.76%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$21.9K ₸9.9M

-6.43%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$30.4K ₸13.7M

-12.69%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$90.4 ₸40.9K

-31.05%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$10.87 ₸4,912

12.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$18.03 ₸8,150

10.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$3.27 ₸1,479

14.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$2.69 ₸1,216

149.44%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$440 ₸198.8K

81.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

22.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$91.3 ₸41.3K

-41.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$10.88 ₸4,917

130.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$61.1 ₸27.6K

50.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$60.6 ₸27.4K

21.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$554 ₸250.6K

-16.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$392 ₸177.3K

-22.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,903 ₸860.4K

-51.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$313 ₸141.6K

76.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$394 ₸178.3K

50.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

20.65

-73.03%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Taldykorgan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Taldykorgan

$392 41.9% 28.8% $88

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Taldykorgan

$206 22% 13.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Taldykorgan

$101 10.8% 8.1% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Taldykorgan

$119 12.8% 26.1% $25

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Taldykorgan

$90 9.6% 13.4% $11

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Taldykorgan

$22 2.3% 64.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Taldykorgan

$5.4 * 0.6% 89.5% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $554 in Taldykorgan. 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 51% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $22.00 in Taldykorgan. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $206 in Taldykorgan – so Taldykorgan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇿 Taldykorgan

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

1 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

169,462

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Taldykorgan 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Taldykorgan

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 Taldykorgan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,403 in Taldykorgan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taldykorgan, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $22.00 in Taldykorgan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 221% less in Taldykorgan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taldykorgan, where all-in costs run around $935, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Taldykorgan 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. Taldykorgan costs $935 versus $938 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 Taldykorgan. 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.