Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Vladivostok

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,268 in Vladivostok, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Vladivostok
Learn more

Vladivostok Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Vladivostok

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,268

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,268 in Vladivostok, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Vladivostok $1,268

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,904 in Vladivostok, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Vladivostok $1,904

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,539 in Vladivostok, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Vladivostok $2,539

Chiang Mai is about 26% cheaper than Vladivostok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Vladivostok are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Vladivostok 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$11.71 ₽977

-80.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$36.44 ₽3,042

-47.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$6.58 ₽549

-15.05%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.18 ₽265

-45.91%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.04 ₽86.7

-38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.68 ₽57.1

-51.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.45 ₽121

62.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.27 ₽190

71.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.75 ₽146

17.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.71 ₽59.0

97.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.63 ₽136

-21.47%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.34 ₽195

-3.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$13.39 ₽1,117

26.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$6.11 ₽510

-55.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$11.24 ₽938

-16.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.86 ₽239

-16.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.09 ₽174

-51.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.70 ₽225

-40.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$4.38 ₽365

-65.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.03 ₽86.0

24.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.05 ₽87.3

5.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.33 ₽111

-45.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.08 ₽89.9

-51.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.95 ₽246

46.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.91 ₽660

124.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.17 ₽97.9

39.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.24 ₽187

27.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.59 ₽49.22

44.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.42 ₽202

-51.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.57 ₽47.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$12.14 ₽1,013

-80.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.87 ₽72.3

66.67%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$46.1K ₽3.8M

-55.58%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$35.7K ₽3.0M

-25.80%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$158 ₽13.2K

-60.66%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$8.44 ₽705

45.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$9.21 ₽769

116.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$5.22 ₽435

28.54%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$814 ₽67.9K

-2.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$117 ₽9,779

-54.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$60.5 ₽5,048

-58.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$97.2 ₽8,115

-5.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$124 ₽10.4K

-40.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$559 ₽46.7K

-17.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$470 ₽39.2K

-35.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,301 ₽108.6K

-29.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$792 ₽66.1K

-30.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$3,078 ₽256.9K

-37.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$2,306 ₽192.5K

-37.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,016 ₽84.8K

-41.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

23.6

-76.40%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Vladivostok: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Vladivostok

$470 37.1% 54.3% $166

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Vladivostok

$254 20% 6.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Vladivostok

$180 14.2% 64% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Vladivostok

$176 13.9% 86.2% $82

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Vladivostok

$170 13.4% 115% $91

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Vladivostok

$7.6 * 0.6% 87.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Vladivostok

$10 * 0.8% 79.7% $41

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 $559 in Vladivostok. 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 71% higher in Vladivostok, 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 Vladivostok. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $254 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Vladivostok

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

10:20 10:20 AM

3 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

600,871

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Vladivostok 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Vladivostok

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 Vladivostok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vladivostok costs about 35% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,902 in Vladivostok. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $36.00 in Vladivostok. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Vladivostok, 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 $938, than in Vladivostok at $1,268. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vladivostok it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,268 in Vladivostok. 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, Vladivostok makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.