Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Irkutsk and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,013 in Irkutsk, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Irkutsk
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Irkutsk Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Irkutsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,013

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,013 per month in Irkutsk vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Irkutsk $1,013
Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $1,501 per month in Irkutsk vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Irkutsk $1,501
Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $1,988 per month in Irkutsk vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Irkutsk $1,988
Chiang Mai $1,864

Irkutsk costs about 12% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Irkutsk and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Irkutsk 24% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.18 ₽611

$2.13 ฿71.4

237.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.58 ₽2,772

$19.40 ฿649

67.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.81 ₽494

$5.47 ฿183

6.22%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ₽258

$1.68 ฿56.4

80.36%

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

$1.60 ₽136

$0.66 ฿22.10

142.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₽55.1

$0.34 ฿11.52

91.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 ₽229

$2.42 ฿81.0

11.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 ₽344

$3.73 ฿125

8.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₽102

$2.06 ฿68.9

-41.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 ₽54.5

$1.46 ฿48.78

-56.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ₽189

$1.35 ฿45.09

64.44%

Eggs

$1.59 ₽135

$2.27 ฿76.0

-29.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.69 ₽995

$16.31 ฿546

-28.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 ₽514

$2.70 ฿90.3

123.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.24 ₽956

$9.20 ฿308

22.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₽161

$2.39 ฿80.1

-20.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 ₽169

$1.04 ฿34.66

91.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽149

$1.60 ฿53.7

9.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 ₽295

$1.44 ฿48.37

140.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ₽61.4

$1.30 ฿43.59

-44.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₽58.6

$1.11 ฿37.29

-37.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 ₽152

$0.70 ฿23.55

155.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₽55.6

$0.51 ฿16.99

27.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 ₽230

$4.13 ฿138

-34.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.17 ₽610

$17.78 ฿595

-59.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ₽86.7

$1.63 ฿54.7

-37.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₽162

$2.87 ฿96.0

-33.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ₽48.62

$0.86 ฿28.76

-33.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.79 ₽1,344

$53.2 ฿1,780

-70.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₽102

$1.22 ฿40.81

-2.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.18 ₽14.94

$0.56 ฿18.81

-67.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 ₽758

$2.31 ฿77.5

285.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 ₽66.8

$1.50 ฿50.2

-47.33%

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

$29.0K ₽2.5M

$20.9K ฿698.3K

39.07%

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

$36.8K ₽3.1M

$26.7K ฿895.0K

37.68%

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

$118 ₽10.0K

$61.3 ฿2,051

91.98%

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

$5.84 ₽497

$12.50 ฿419

-53.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.41 ₽971

$20.36 ฿682

-43.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.35 ₽2,923

$37.94 ฿1,270

-9.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.13 ₽1,798

$3.77 ฿126

460.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ₽565

$6.60 ฿221

0.61%

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

$294 ₽25.0K

$774 ฿25.9K

-62.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,121 ₽265.6K

$14.4K ฿483.2K

-78.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 ₽4,992

$54.8 ฿1,835

7.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.42 ₽1,993

$25.26 ฿846

-7.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₽8,516

$90.6 ฿3,032

10.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₽9,642

$73.3 ฿2,453

54.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 ₽37.2K

$459 ฿15.4K

-4.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₽26.3K

$294 ฿9,835

5.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ₽63.8K

$919 ฿30.8K

-18.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 ₽36.8K

$552 ฿18.5K

-21.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,712 ₽230.8K

$1,917 ฿64.2K

41.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,807 ₽153.7K

$1,445 ฿48.4K

25.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$752 ₽64.0K

$592 ฿19.8K

26.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.57

5.57

341.11%

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

Last update for Irkutsk: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Irkutsk

$309 30.7%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 5% $16

Groceries & Markets

Irkutsk

$220 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 7.2% $16

Eating Out

Irkutsk

$142 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 45.5% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Irkutsk

$135 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 30.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Irkutsk

$133 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 17.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Irkutsk

$48 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 7.3% $3.5

Getting Around

Irkutsk

$20 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 201% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $438 in Irkutsk versus $459 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 27% higher in Irkutsk, 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 $33.00 in Irkutsk versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $220 in Irkutsk vs $236 in Chiang Mai – so Irkutsk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Irkutsk

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

12:36 12:36 PM

1 h behind Irkutsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,515

127,240

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Irkutsk Chiang Mai 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Irkutsk
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

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

Irkutsk costs about 12% 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 $1,520 per month in Irkutsk and $1,359 in Chiang Mai. 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.

Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Irkutsk and $774 in Chiang Mai. 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 Irkutsk – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $906, than in Irkutsk at $1,013. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Irkutsk it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $1,013 in Irkutsk. 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, Irkutsk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.