Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ulan Ude

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,138 in Ulan Ude, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Ulan Ude
Learn more

Ulan Ude Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ulan Ude

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Ulan Ude

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,138 in Ulan Ude, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ulan Ude $1,138

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,770 in Ulan Ude, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ulan Ude $1,770

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,402 in Ulan Ude, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ulan Ude $2,402

Chiang Mai is about 18% cheaper than Ulan Ude, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Ulan Ude are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ulan Ude 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$7.01 ₽565

-68.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$49.90 ₽4,019

-61.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.38 ₽595

-24.80%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.70 ₽298

-54.86%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.82 ₽147

-64.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.89 ₽153

-83.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.80 ₽306

-37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.33 ₽510

-42.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.46 ₽117

33.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.87 ₽70.1

65.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.43 ₽115

-6.99%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.22 ₽179

2.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$12.66 ₽1,019

29.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.81 ₽548

-59.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.50 ₽1,087

-31.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.12 ₽171

10.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.86 ₽150

-47.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.87 ₽151

-14.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.81 ₽226

-46.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.67 ₽53.9

91.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.79 ₽63.6

39.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.19 ₽176

-67.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.65 ₽52.7

-24.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.00 ₽242

38.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.99 ₽563

150.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.51 ₽121

6.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.28 ₽103

117.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.49 ₽39.36

77.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$24.50 ₽1,973

120.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.27 ₽102

-8.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.15 ₽12.31

253.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.50 ₽604

-67.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.81 ₽65.6

79.01%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$50.2K ₽4.0M

-58.07%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$37.7K ₽3.0M

-28.49%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$95.1 ₽7,655

-34.59%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$4.84 ₽390

151.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$7.89 ₽635

155.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$24.48 ₽1,971

52.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$49.19 ₽3,962

-92.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.49 ₽603

-13.35%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$73.2 ₽5,895

-27.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$30.56 ₽2,461

-19.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$122 ₽9,859

-25.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$126 ₽10.1K

-42.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$526 ₽42.3K

-8.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$396 ₽31.9K

-22.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$814 ₽65.5K

23.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$616 ₽49.6K

2.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,138 ₽172.2K

10.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,580 ₽127.3K

0.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$911 ₽73.4K

-35.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.67

-74.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ulan Ude: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ulan Ude

$396 34.8% 28.3% $87

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ulan Ude

$238 20.9% 1.5% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ulan Ude

$158 13.9% 45.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ulan Ude

$108 9.5% 14.1% $13

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ulan Ude

$169 14.9% 118% $92

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ulan Ude

$28 2.5% 53.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ulan Ude

$39 3.5% 21.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $526 in Ulan Ude. 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 54% higher in Ulan Ude. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $50 in Ulan Ude. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Ulan Ude

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

436,138

💱 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.87 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ulan Ude 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ulan Ude

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 Ulan Ude: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulan Ude costs about 22% 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 $1,706 in Ulan Ude. 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 $526 in Ulan Ude. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,138 in Ulan Ude. That makes Chiang Mai about 18% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Ulan Ude. 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 $1,138 in Ulan Ude. 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 $1,138 in Ulan Ude. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ulan Ude makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.