Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kostanay and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Kostanay and in Chiang Mai: $962 and $925 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in Kostanay
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Kostanay Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kostanay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$962

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $962 per month in Kostanay vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kostanay $962
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,452 per month in Kostanay vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kostanay $1,452
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,943 per month in Kostanay vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kostanay $1,943
Chiang Mai $1,903

Kostanay costs about 4% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kostanay and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kostanay 29% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.60 ₸2,532

$2.29 ฿76.5

144.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.73 ₸13.0K

$19.64 ฿656

46.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.05 ₸3,186

$5.61 ฿188

25.67%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ₸988

$1.66 ฿55.6

31.33%

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

$1.12 ₸506

$0.70 ฿23.40

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ₸389

$0.31 ฿10.24

177.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ₸656

$2.41 ฿80.4

-39.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ₸1,181

$3.71 ฿124

-29.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ₸550

$1.95 ฿65.3

-37.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₸235

$1.41 ฿47.03

-63.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₸474

$1.31 ฿43.62

-19.85%

Eggs

$2.27 ₸1,026

$2.18 ฿72.9

4.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 ₸4,614

$16.65 ฿556

-38.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 ₸2,585

$2.76 ฿92.2

107.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.33 ₸3,767

$9.11 ฿304

-8.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 ₸730

$2.39 ฿80.0

-32.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ₸1,071

$1.03 ฿34.26

130.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 ₸831

$1.63 ฿54.4

12.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 ₸1,047

$1.50 ฿50.0

54.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ₸264

$1.29 ฿43.13

-55.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ₸308

$1.11 ฿37.03

-38.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 ₸548

$0.72 ฿24.08

68.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₸399

$0.53 ฿17.59

66.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 ₸1,135

$4.31 ฿144

-41.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.47 ₸3,827

$17.95 ฿600

-52.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₸495

$1.58 ฿52.9

-30.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₸1,071

$2.84 ฿95.0

-16.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ₸142

$0.86 ฿28.86

-63.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 ₸430

$1.21 ฿40.29

-21.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 ₸516

$0.57 ฿18.99

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 ₸2,755

$2.35 ฿78.6

159.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 ₸263

$1.44 ฿47.96

-59.72%

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

$30.3K ₸13.7M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

46.11%

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

$30.5K ₸13.8M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

13.89%

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

$76.8 ₸34.7K

$62.3 ฿2,083

23.25%

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

$10.97 ₸4,961

$12.11 ฿405

-9.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.99 ₸7,229

$19.94 ฿666

-19.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.26 ₸21.8K

$37.07 ฿1,239

30.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.11 ₸9,091

$3.78 ฿126

432.01%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 ₸1,989

$6.50 ฿217

-32.31%

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

$209 ₸94.5K

$793 ฿26.5K

-73.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,498 ₸2.9M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-56.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.3 ₸43.5K

$53.7 ฿1,796

79.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 ₸24.3K

$24.62 ฿823

118.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ₸48.6K

$90.9 ฿3,036

18.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 ₸42.3K

$71.1 ฿2,378

31.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₸181.7K

$455 ฿15.2K

-11.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 ₸144.9K

$298 ฿9,954

7.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 ₸270.1K

$908 ฿30.4K

-34.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₸223.4K

$554 ฿18.5K

-10.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,218 ₸550.5K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-36.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$925 ₸418.0K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-35.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 ₸297.0K

$591 ฿19.7K

11.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

5.57

232.14%

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

Last update for Kostanay: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kostanay

$321 33.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 7.1% $23

Groceries & Markets

Kostanay

$202 21%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 16.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Kostanay

$158 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 31.6% $50

Eating Out

Kostanay

$113 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 30.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kostanay

$104 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 9.1% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kostanay

$57 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 12.3% $7

Getting Around

Kostanay

$7.9 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 668% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in Kostanay versus $455 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 11% higher in Kostanay, 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 $29.00 in Kostanay versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $202 in Kostanay vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Kostanay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Kostanay

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

1 h ahead of Kostanay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

264,446

127,240

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kostanay Chiang Mai 4,880 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kostanay
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

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

Kostanay costs about 4% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,443 per month in Kostanay and $1,388 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Kostanay and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Kostanay – 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 $925, than in Kostanay at $962. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kostanay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $962 in Kostanay. 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, Kostanay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.