Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kharkiv and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kharkiv: $722 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Kharkiv, Ukraine
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Kharkiv
🇺🇦 Ukraine
$722
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $722 per month in Kharkiv vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kharkiv $722
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,072 per month in Kharkiv vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kharkiv $1,072
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,421 per month in Kharkiv vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kharkiv $1,421
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Kharkiv is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kharkiv and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kharkiv 47% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kharkiv
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.54 ₴298
$2.24 ฿75.7
191.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.03 ₴1,368
$19.00 ฿642
58.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.82 ₴220
$5.55 ฿188
-13.15%
Cappuccino
$1.64 ₴74.9
$1.67 ฿56.6
-1.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 ₴47.57
$0.64 ฿21.56
62.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ₴22.61
$0.31 ฿10.32
61.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.96 ₴43.90
$2.36 ฿79.6
-59.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 ₴75.9
$3.66 ฿124
-54.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kharkiv
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 ₴49.49
$1.95 ฿65.8
-44.10%
White Bread (500g)
$0.68 ₴31.03
$1.44 ฿48.51
-52.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 ₴55.6
$1.33 ฿45.07
-8.27%
Eggs
$1.65 ₴75.0
$2.28 ฿77.1
-27.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.34 ₴380
$16.45 ฿556
-49.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.07 ₴185
$2.78 ฿94.0
46.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.14 ₴325
$9.31 ฿314
-23.31%
Apples (1kg)
$1.33 ₴60.4
$2.35 ฿79.5
-43.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 ₴68.8
$0.97 ฿32.82
55.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.57 ₴71.4
$1.60 ฿53.9
-1.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.10 ₴95.8
$1.50 ฿50.7
40.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.72 ₴32.88
$1.28 ฿43.15
-43.75%
Onion (1kg)
$0.54 ₴24.72
$1.10 ฿37.22
-50.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 ₴54.8
$0.71 ฿23.84
69.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 ₴27.26
$0.49 ฿16.38
22.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.72 ₴124
$4.14 ฿140
-34.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.32 ₴197
$17.52 ฿592
-75.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 ₴37.80
$1.61 ฿54.5
-48.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.19 ₴54.4
$2.78 ฿94.0
-57.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Kharkiv
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.87 ฿29.33
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.1 ฿1,827
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.34 ₴61.1
$1.16 ฿39.08
15.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 ₴14.52
$0.53 ฿17.82
-39.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.13 ₴97.2
$2.42 ฿81.8
-11.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 ₴82.0
$1.45 ฿48.93
24.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K ₴1.4M
$21.1K ฿711.2K
43.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K ₴1.1M
$26.9K ฿909.8K
-11.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kharkiv
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$95.7 ₴4,359
$62.2 ฿2,100
53.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.93 ₴270
$12.17 ฿411
-51.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.78 ₴309
$20.12 ฿680
-66.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kharkiv
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.11 ₴1,098
$37.31 ฿1,260
-35.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.50 ₴615
$3.77 ฿127
258.09%
Cinema Ticket
$4.62 ₴210
$6.49 ฿219
-28.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kharkiv
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$274 ₴12.5K
$736 ฿24.9K
-62.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,659 ₴121.1K
$14.8K ฿498.6K
-81.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kharkiv
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.5 ₴2,526
$53.4 ฿1,802
3.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.95 ₴1,910
$24.64 ฿832
70.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.9 ₴4,002
$91.5 ฿3,089
-3.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 ₴4,739
$71.9 ฿2,429
44.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kharkiv
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$274 ₴12.5K
$482 ฿16.3K
-43.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$188 ₴8,540
$309 ฿10.4K
-39.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$496 ₴22.6K
$1,006 ฿34.0K
-50.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$206 ₴9,368
$633 ฿21.4K
-67.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,043 ₴47.5K
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-55.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$595 ₴27.1K
$1,589 ฿53.7K
-62.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kharkiv
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$516 ₴23.5K
$590 ฿19.9K
-12.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17.89
5.57
221.18%

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

Last update for Kharkiv: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kharkiv
$188
Chiang Mai
$309 64.7% $121
Groceries & Markets
Kharkiv
$159
Chiang Mai
$234 47.5% $75
Clothing & Footwear
Kharkiv
$130
Chiang Mai
$109 16.6% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kharkiv
$108
Chiang Mai
$94 12.9% $14
Eating Out
Kharkiv
$101
Chiang Mai
$78 23% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Kharkiv
$33
Chiang Mai
$50 50.8% $17
Getting Around
Kharkiv
$2.9 *
Chiang Mai
$61 1987% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Kharkiv versus $482 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 14% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $30 in Kharkiv versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $159 in Kharkiv vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Kharkiv wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇦 Kharkiv
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
22:49 10:49 PM
03:49 3:49 AM
5 h ahead of Kharkiv
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,447,652
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to UAH – Ukrainian Hryvnia Converter

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 45.54 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 50.69 UAH (100 UAH = 1.97 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kharkiv Chiang Mai 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kharkiv
  • 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
Kharkiv vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kharkiv or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Kharkiv, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Kharkiv and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,083 per month in Kharkiv and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Kharkiv or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kharkiv, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $274 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do dining costs compare in Kharkiv and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Kharkiv and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Kharkiv or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 48% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Kharkiv or in Chiang Mai?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kharkiv, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Kharkiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Kharkiv or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kharkiv costs $722 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Kharkiv or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Kharkiv. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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