Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ufa

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,139 in Ufa, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Ufa
Learn more

Ufa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Ufa

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,139 in Ufa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Ufa $1,139

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,742 in Ufa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Ufa $1,742

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,345 in Ufa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Ufa $2,345

Chiang Mai is about 20% cheaper than Ufa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Ufa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Ufa 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$8.89 ₽756

-76.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$35.89 ₽3,054

-45.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$7.75 ₽659

-29.42%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$2.69 ₽229

-37.55%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$1.08 ₽91.7

-38.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$0.33 ₽28.46

3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$2.38 ₽203

1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$2.76 ₽235

35.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$1.23 ₽105

67.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$1.03 ₽87.9

41.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$2.08 ₽177

-35.10%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$1.54 ₽131

47.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$15.14 ₽1,288

7.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$5.79 ₽493

-53.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$21.03 ₽1,790

-56.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$1.62 ₽138

47.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$1.74 ₽148

-40.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$2.08 ₽177

-23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$2.31 ₽197

-37.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$0.82 ₽69.9

58.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$0.51 ₽43.75

117.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$1.04 ₽88.3

-32.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$0.72 ₽61.2

-29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$3.48 ₽296

18.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$11.85 ₽1,008

50.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$0.79 ₽67.2

106.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$1.56 ₽133

83.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$0.52 ₽44.33

65.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$17.03 ₽1,449

212.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$2.99 ₽255

-59.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

$6.99 ₽595

-66.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$0.80 ₽67.8

87.50%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$35.3K ₽3.0M

-41.00%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$27.3K ₽2.3M

-1.93%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$144 ₽12.3K

-57.58%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$6.01 ₽512

107.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$8.04 ₽684

153.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$26.20 ₽2,229

44.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$23.51 ₽2,001

-83.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$6.00 ₽511

10.00%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$291 ₽24.8K

165.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$5,590 ₽475.7K

158.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$49.35 ₽4,199

11.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$68.9 ₽5,861

-63.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$159 ₽13.5K

-42.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$140 ₽11.9K

-47.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$408 ₽34.7K

12.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$316 ₽26.9K

-7.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$772 ₽65.7K

18.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$477 ₽40.6K

15.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$2,739 ₽233.1K

-29.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$2,220 ₽188.9K

-34.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$824 ₽70.1K

-28.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

23.33

-76.13%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ufa: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Ufa

$316 27.9% 7.7% $23

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Ufa

$260 23% 10.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Ufa

$188 16.6% 71% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Ufa

$158 14% 68.3% $64

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Ufa

$150 13.2% 93.8% $72

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ufa

$22 * 2% 63.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Ufa

$38 3.4% 25.3% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $408 in Ufa. 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 39% higher in Ufa, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $36.00 in Ufa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $260 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Ufa

🕒 Local time

12:37 12:37 PM

10:37 10:37 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,075,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ufa 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ufa

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 Ufa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ufa costs about 26% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,709 in Ufa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Chiang Mai and $291 in Ufa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Ufa, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $906, than in Ufa at $1,139. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ufa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $1,139 in Ufa. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ufa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.