Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Volgograd

For one person, living is cheaper in Volgograd: $892 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $530 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Volgograd
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Volgograd Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Volgograd

🇷🇺 Russia

$892

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $892 in Volgograd, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Volgograd $892

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,474 in Volgograd, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Volgograd $1,474

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,057 in Volgograd, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Volgograd $2,057

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Volgograd, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Volgograd are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Volgograd 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$6.64 ₽535

-66.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$49.28 ₽3,974

-61.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.40 ₽516

-13.28%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.84 ₽229

-41.20%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.96 ₽77.8

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.60 ₽48.56

-48.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.21 ₽97.9

95.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.84 ₽148

98.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.07 ₽86.4

82.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.61 ₽49.33

136.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.17 ₽94.3

13.68%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.44 ₽117

58.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.41 ₽597

122.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.77 ₽385

-41.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.62 ₽937

-19.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.24 ₽100

89.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.51 ₽122

-35.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.53 ₽124

4.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.53 ₽204

-40.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.75 ₽60.1

70.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.48 ₽38.64

129.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.36 ₽28.89

97.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.63 ₽51.1

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.93 ₽236

41.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$9.36 ₽755

87.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.12 ₽90.4

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.95 ₽157

42.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.52 ₽41.54

67.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$16.64 ₽1,342

225.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$3.10 ₽250

-21.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.89 ₽71.4

62.92%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$53.9K ₽4.3M

-60.95%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$41.4K ₽3.3M

-34.91%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$88.3 ₽7,121

-29.59%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.47 ₽844

16.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$8.00 ₽645

151.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

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

$736 ฿24.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$113 ₽9,131

-52.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$74.2 ₽5,985

-66.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$54.7 ₽4,413

67.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$187 ₽15.1K

-61.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$609 ₽49.1K

-20.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$268 ₽21.6K

15.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,233 ₽99.4K

-18.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$557 ₽45.0K

13.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,459 ₽117.7K

61.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,372 ₽110.7K

15.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$615 ₽49.6K

-4.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.33

-73.89%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Volgograd: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Volgograd

$268 30.1% 13.2% $41

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Volgograd

$183 20.5% 22.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Volgograd

$193 21.7% 77.9% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Volgograd

$107 12% 13% $12

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Volgograd

$122 13.7% 57.8% $45

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Volgograd

$19 * 2.1% 69.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Volgograd

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $609 in Volgograd. 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 4% higher in Volgograd, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $49 in Volgograd. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $183 in Volgograd – so Volgograd wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Volgograd

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

23:50 11:50 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,004,763

💱 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Volgograd 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Volgograd

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 Volgograd: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Volgograd, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,338 in Volgograd. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $609 in Volgograd.

Public transport costs about 69% less in Volgograd. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $892 in Volgograd to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.