Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ternopil

For one person, living is cheaper in Ternopil: $690 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Ternopil
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Ternopil Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Ternopil

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $690 in Ternopil, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Ternopil $690

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,143 in Ternopil, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Ternopil $1,143

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,595 in Ternopil, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Ternopil $1,595

Chiang Mai costs about 34% more than Ternopil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Ternopil are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Ternopil 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$3.36 ₴151

-31.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$20.07 ₴901

-2.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.45 ₴245

2.94%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.22 ₴54.6

36.07%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.69 ₴30.83

1.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.51 ₴22.79

-39.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$0.90 ₴40.56

167.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$1.54 ₴69.1

140.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.34 ₴60.2

45.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.72 ₴32.38

95.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.00 ₴89.8

-34.50%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.96 ₴87.8

11.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$7.95 ₴357

109.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$3.99 ₴179

-30.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$5.93 ₴266

53.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$0.72 ₴32.20

231.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.58 ₴70.8

-34.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.43 ₴64.2

13.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.73 ₴123

-45.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.54 ₴24.26

138.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.39 ₴17.59

184.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.36 ₴61.3

-47.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.52 ₴23.17

1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.69 ₴121

60.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$3.25 ₴146

452.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$0.88 ₴39.52

79.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.35 ₴106

20.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.39 ₴17.61

120.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.42 ₴63.7

-14.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.37 ₴16.82

54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$4.08 ₴183

-42.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.57 ₴70.7

-8.28%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$31.5K ₴1.4M

-34.21%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$25.1K ₴1.1M

6.66%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$55.4 ₴2,488

12.45%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$4.74 ₴213

155.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$4.92 ₴221

305.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$20.69 ₴929

79.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$13.84 ₴621

-72.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$3.59 ₴161

81.06%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$245 ₴11.0K

223.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$49.54 ₴2,224

8.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$46.86 ₴2,103

-47.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$98.6 ₴4,425

-7.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$90.1 ₴4,043

-21.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$297 ₴13.3K

53.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$234 ₴10.5K

27.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$564 ₴25.3K

61.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$551 ₴24.7K

0.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$994 ₴44.6K

94.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$504 ₴22.6K

186.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$487 ₴21.9K

21.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-74.68%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ternopil: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Ternopil

$234 33.9% 21.4% $64

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Ternopil

$160 23.2% 32% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Ternopil

$128 18.6% 18.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Ternopil

$65 9.4% 31% $29

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Ternopil

$70 10.2% 10.7% $8.4

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ternopil

$4.9 * 0.7% 92% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ternopil

$28 4% 44.3% $22

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 $297 in Ternopil. 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 21% 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 $20.00 in Ternopil. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $160 in Ternopil – so Ternopil wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇦 Ternopil

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

13:19 1:19 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

218,134

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ternopil 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ternopil

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 Ternopil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 34% more than Ternopil, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,036 in Ternopil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ternopil, 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 $20.00 in Ternopil. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% 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 Ternopil, where all-in costs run around $690, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Ternopil 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. Ternopil costs $690 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 Ternopil. 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.