Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tula

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Tula: $936 and $959 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Tula
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Tula Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Tula

🇷🇺 Russia

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $959 in Tula, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Tula $959

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,569 in Tula, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Tula $1,569

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,179 in Tula, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Tula $2,179

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$12.58 ₽1,013

-82.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$61.4 ₽4,943

-69.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.60 ₽612

-26.97%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.84 ₽310

-56.51%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.71 ₽138

-62.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.85 ₽68.8

-63.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$5.02 ₽404

-52.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.37 ₽433

-31.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.31 ₽105

48.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.09 ₽87.8

32.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.78 ₽143

-25.28%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.95 ₽157

16.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$15.21 ₽1,225

8.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$7.03 ₽566

-60.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.32 ₽993

-24.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.11 ₽170

11.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.94 ₽156

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.05 ₽165

-21.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.18 ₽337

-64.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.00 ₽80.4

28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.72 ₽58.2

52.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.63 ₽131

-56.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.96 ₽77.0

-48.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.75 ₽302

10.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$12.31 ₽992

42.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.23 ₽99.0

30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.62 ₽211

6.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.55 ₽43.93

58.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$22.52 ₽1,814

140.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.83 ₽147

-36.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.86 ₽69.3

-38.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$12.13 ₽977

-80.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.87 ₽69.9

66.67%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$44.0K ₽3.5M

-52.09%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$39.8K ₽3.2M

-32.28%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$169 ₽13.6K

-63.32%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.14 ₽736

33.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$9.96 ₽802

102.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.85 ₽794

-34.11%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$868 ₽69.9K

-15.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$29.6K ₽2.4M

-50.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$115 ₽9,254

-53.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$69.9 ₽5,631

-64.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$155 ₽12.5K

-40.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$188 ₽15.2K

-61.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

19.58

-71.55%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tula: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Tula

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Tula

$266 27.8% 13.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Tula

$238 24.8% 119% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Tula

$189 19.7% 99.6% $94

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Tula

$216 22.5% 178% $138

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tula

$31 3.2% 49.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Tula

$20 * 2.1% 60.8% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $61 in Tula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $266 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Tula

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

06:22 6:22 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

475,161

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Tula 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tula

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 Tula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,438 in Tula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $61 in Tula. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Tula. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $959 in Tula. 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 $959 in Tula. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.