Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Yoshkar-Ola

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $989 in Yoshkar-Ola, rent and utilities included – about $640 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Yoshkar-Ola
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Yoshkar-Ola Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Yoshkar-Ola

🇷🇺 Russia

$989

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Yoshkar-Ola

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 Yoshkar-Ola actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $989 in Yoshkar-Ola, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Yoshkar-Ola $989

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,609 in Yoshkar-Ola, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Yoshkar-Ola $1,609

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,229 in Yoshkar-Ola, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Yoshkar-Ola $2,229

Chiang Mai is about 5% cheaper than Yoshkar-Ola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Yoshkar-Ola are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Yoshkar-Ola 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$6.07 ₽486

-63.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$55.1 ₽4,409

-65.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.83 ₽386

14.91%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.72 ₽137

-2.91%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.79 ₽63.0

-18.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.27 ₽21.54

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.88 ₽70.0

168.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$1.67 ₽134

119.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.75 ₽60.2

160.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.75 ₽59.9

92.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.41 ₽113

-5.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.60 ₽128

42.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$12.01 ₽960

36.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.98 ₽398

-44.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.58 ₽1,086

-31.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.77 ₽142

32.77%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.70 ₽136

-42.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.77 ₽141

-9.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.61 ₽288

-58.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.73 ₽58.6

75.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.59 ₽47.48

86.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.35 ₽108

-47.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.74 ₽59.5

-33.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.28 ₽262

26.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$8.40 ₽672

108.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.13 ₽90.2

42.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.51 ₽201

10.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.48 ₽38.23

81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$28.74 ₽2,299

88.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.42 ₽114

-18.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.41 ₽32.89

29.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$7.29 ₽583

-66.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.87 ₽69.3

66.67%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$54.7K ₽4.4M

-61.48%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$39.8K ₽3.2M

-32.28%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$97.1 ₽7,766

-35.97%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$7.00 ₽560

73.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$8.77 ₽702

129.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$33.19 ₽2,655

12.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$23.24 ₽1,859

-83.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.34 ₽587

-11.58%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$316 ₽25.3K

133.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$7,210 ₽576.7K

104.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$77.7 ₽6,216

-31.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$56.5 ₽4,518

-56.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$136 ₽10.9K

-32.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$84.3 ₽6,738

-14.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$482 ₽38.6K

0.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$321 ₽25.7K

-3.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$921 ₽73.6K

9.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$592 ₽47.3K

7.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,472 ₽197.7K

-4.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,396 ₽111.6K

13.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

20.29

-72.55%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yoshkar-Ola: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Yoshkar-Ola

$321 32.5% 4% $12

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Yoshkar-Ola

$218 22% 7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Yoshkar-Ola

$159 16.1% 46.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Yoshkar-Ola

$113 11.4% 19.5% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Yoshkar-Ola

$96 9.7% 23.2% $18

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Yoshkar-Ola

$34 3.5% 44.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Yoshkar-Ola

$48 4.8% 4.8% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $482 in Yoshkar-Ola. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $55 in Yoshkar-Ola. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $218 in Yoshkar-Ola – so Yoshkar-Ola wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇺 Yoshkar-Ola

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

04:27 4:27 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

276,155

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 RUB = 1.25 USD

100 RUB = 1.12 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 79.99 RUB (100 RUB = 1.25 USD). 1 EUR = 89.04 RUB (100 RUB = 1.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Yoshkar-Ola 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Yoshkar-Ola

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 Yoshkar-Ola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yoshkar-Ola costs about 6% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,484 in Yoshkar-Ola. 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 $482 in Yoshkar-Ola. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $316 in Yoshkar-Ola. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Yoshkar-Ola – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $989 in Yoshkar-Ola. 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 $989 in Yoshkar-Ola. 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.