Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elista and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Elista and in Chiang Mai: $950 and $935 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Elista
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Elista Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Elista

🇷🇺 Russia

$950

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Elista 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 Elista and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $950 per month in Elista vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Elista $950
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,565 per month in Elista vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Elista $1,565
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,180 per month in Elista vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Elista $2,180
Chiang Mai $1,999

Elista and Chiang Mai have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Elista and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Elista 30% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.67 ₽547

$2.13 ฿71.8

213.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.36 ₽3,964

$18.62 ฿626

159.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.61 ₽541

$5.60 ฿188

18.04%

Cappuccino

$2.84 ₽233

$1.66 ฿55.9

71.08%

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

$1.02 ₽83.6

$0.65 ฿21.75

56.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₽48.48

$0.30 ฿10.25

96.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ₽97.1

$2.32 ฿78.1

-49.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₽151

$3.67 ฿123

-49.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 ₽87.1

$2.02 ฿67.8

-47.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 ₽45.90

$1.41 ฿47.34

-60.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ₽95.8

$1.39 ฿46.79

-15.83%

Eggs

$1.48 ₽121

$2.37 ฿79.6

-37.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.72 ₽632

$16.52 ฿555

-53.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.81 ₽394

$2.67 ฿89.8

80.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.89 ₽974

$9.02 ฿303

31.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 ₽105

$2.40 ฿80.6

-46.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₽123

$1.04 ฿35.01

44.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 ₽123

$1.66 ฿55.8

-9.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 ₽214

$1.56 ฿52.4

67.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 ₽64.3

$1.24 ฿41.61

-37.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ₽38.16

$1.09 ฿36.53

-56.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 ₽31.77

$0.76 ฿25.61

-48.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₽54.5

$0.51 ฿17.29

31.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.91 ₽239

$4.12 ฿139

-29.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.41 ₽771

$17.93 ฿603

-47.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 ₽89.3

$1.62 ฿54.6

-32.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₽157

$2.82 ฿94.9

-31.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 ₽43.23

$0.93 ฿31.42

-43.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.79 ₽2,196

$52.9 ฿1,778

-49.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₽201

$1.18 ฿39.56

107.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ₽30.64

$0.17 ฿5.76

117.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ₽297

$1.81 ฿60.9

100.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 ₽71.7

$1.47 ฿49.51

-40.82%

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

$27.0K ₽2.2M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

28.57%

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

$32.0K ₽2.6M

$26.5K ฿891.4K

20.69%

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

$87.4 ₽7,165

$62.6 ฿2,103

39.74%

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

$6.56 ₽537

$11.60 ฿390

-43.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.08 ₽662

$20.30 ฿683

-60.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.35 ₽2,979

$37.88 ฿1,274

-4.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.57 ₽2,014

$3.70 ฿124

564.05%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 ₽348

$6.51 ฿219

-34.87%

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

$336 ₽27.6K

$727 ฿24.4K

-53.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,432 ₽527.2K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-61.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 ₽7,345

$53.5 ฿1,800

67.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₽4,500

$24.80 ฿834

121.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.0 ₽4,588

$90.4 ฿3,039

-38.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 ₽9,408

$72.0 ฿2,420

59.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 ₽40.8K

$481 ฿16.2K

3.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ₽26.2K

$310 ฿10.4K

3.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$847 ₽69.4K

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-19.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$658 ₽54.0K

$659 ฿22.1K

-0.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,314 ₽189.7K

$2,418 ฿81.3K

-4.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,320 ₽108.2K

$1,609 ฿54.1K

-17.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$365 ₽29.9K

$595 ฿20.0K

-38.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

5.57

282.94%

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

Last update for Elista: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elista

$320 33.7%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 3.2% $10

Groceries & Markets

Elista

$185 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 27.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Elista

$142 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 23.6% $34

Eating Out

Elista

$123 13%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 37.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elista

$102 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 7.4% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Elista

$45 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 13.5% $6.1

Getting Around

Elista

$33 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 76.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $498 in Elista versus $481 in Chiang Mai. 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 63% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Elista versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $185 in Elista vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Elista wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Elista

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:30 6:30 PM

22:30 10:30 PM

4 h ahead of Elista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,219

127,240

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 81.97 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.89 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Elista Chiang Mai 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Elista
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,426 per month in Elista and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $498 in Elista and $481 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Elista and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Elista. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $950 in Elista and $935 in Chiang Mai. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $950 in Elista. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.