Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darkhan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Darkhan: $639 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

31

Cost of Living Index in Darkhan
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Darkhan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Darkhan

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$639

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Darkhan and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $639 per month in Darkhan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Darkhan $639
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,049 per month in Darkhan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Darkhan $1,049
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,459 per month in Darkhan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Darkhan $1,459
Chiang Mai $1,979

Darkhan is about 32% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Darkhan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Darkhan 53% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.47 MNT 19.7K

$2.24 ฿75.6

144.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 MNT 114.1K

$19.00 ฿641

66.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 MNT 20.1K

$5.55 ฿187

0.54%

Cappuccino

$2.36 MNT 8,493

$1.67 ฿56.5

41.32%

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

$0.87 MNT 3,140

$0.64 ฿21.55

35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 MNT 2,035

$0.31 ฿10.31

83.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 MNT 8,302

$2.36 ฿79.6

-2.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 MNT 11.6K

$3.66 ฿124

-11.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 MNT 5,334

$1.95 ฿65.8

-24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 MNT 3,512

$1.44 ฿48.48

-31.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MNT 7,372

$1.33 ฿45.04

54.14%

Eggs

$2.15 MNT 7,755

$2.28 ฿77.1

-5.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 MNT 44.8K

$16.45 ฿555

-24.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.99 MNT 18.0K

$2.78 ฿93.9

79.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.59 MNT 23.7K

$9.31 ฿314

-29.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 MNT 10.7K

$2.35 ฿79.4

27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 MNT 8,488

$0.97 ฿32.80

143.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 MNT 13.2K

$1.60 ฿53.9

129.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 MNT 11.1K

$1.50 ฿50.6

106.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 MNT 2,709

$1.28 ฿43.12

-41.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MNT 3,926

$1.10 ฿37.19

-0.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 MNT 6,195

$0.71 ฿23.82

142.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MNT 2,861

$0.49 ฿16.37

61.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.73 MNT 6,213

$4.14 ฿140

-58.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

$17.52 ฿591

-40.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 MNT 5,157

$1.61 ฿54.5

-11.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 MNT 6,325

$2.78 ฿94.0

-36.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.55 MNT 1,976

$1.16 ฿39.06

-52.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MNT 2,035

$0.53 ฿17.80

7.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 MNT 22.5K

$2.42 ฿81.8

158.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 MNT 4,031

$1.45 ฿48.90

-22.76%

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

$26.4K MNT 94.9M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

25.25%

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

$34.3K MNT 123.5M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

27.32%

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

$72.1 MNT 259.6K

$62.2 ฿2,098

16.02%

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

$7.36 MNT 26.5K

$12.17 ฿411

-39.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.42 MNT 48.3K

$20.12 ฿679

-33.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$4.21 MNT 15.2K

$6.49 ฿219

-35.13%

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

$783 MNT 2.8M

$736 ฿24.8K

6.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,296 MNT 29.9M

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-43.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 MNT 290.1K

$53.4 ฿1,801

51.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.13 MNT 166.0K

$24.64 ฿831

87.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MNT 374.3K

$91.5 ฿3,087

13.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 MNT 666.8K

$71.9 ฿2,428

157.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

5.57

85.28%

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

Last update for Darkhan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Darkhan

$235 36.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 0.3% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Darkhan

$187 29.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 42% $79

Eating Out

Darkhan

$113 17.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 31.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darkhan

$93 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 1.7% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Darkhan

$8.4 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 497% $42

Getting Around

Darkhan

$3.4 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1715% $58

Accommodation & Living

Darkhan

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Darkhan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Darkhan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

18:06 6:06 PM

1 h behind Darkhan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,738

127,240

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.49 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MNT – Mongolian Tögrög Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇳 Mongolian Tögrög (₮)

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,599 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,016 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.49 EUR).

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).

USD to MNT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Darkhan Chiang Mai 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Darkhan
Chiang Mai

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

Darkhan vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Darkhan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $959 per month in Darkhan and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $639 in Darkhan and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Darkhan about 32% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Darkhan and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Darkhan, where all-in costs run around $639, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Darkhan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $639 in Darkhan to $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.