Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kostroma and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,312 in Kostroma, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kostroma
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Kostroma Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kostroma

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,312

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,312 per month in Kostroma vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kostroma $1,312
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,085 per month in Kostroma vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kostroma $2,085
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,859 per month in Kostroma vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kostroma $2,859
Chiang Mai $1,903

Kostroma costs about 42% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kostroma and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kostroma 3% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 ₽1,002

$2.29 ฿76.5

424.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 ₽5,102

$19.64 ฿656

211.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 ₽601

$5.61 ฿188

28.34%

Cappuccino

$3.91 ₽326

$1.66 ฿55.6

135.54%

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

$1.62 ₽136

$0.70 ฿23.40

131.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ₽71.1

$0.31 ฿10.24

174.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 ₽150

$2.41 ฿80.4

-25.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 ₽441

$3.71 ฿124

42.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₽103

$1.95 ฿65.3

-36.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₽84.3

$1.41 ฿47.03

-28.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 ₽140

$1.31 ฿43.62

28.24%

Eggs

$1.88 ₽157

$2.18 ฿72.9

-13.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 ₽1,248

$16.65 ฿556

-10.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 ₽578

$2.76 ฿92.2

151.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 ₽1,248

$9.11 ฿304

64.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ₽181

$2.39 ฿80.0

-9.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 ₽152

$1.03 ฿34.26

76.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₽165

$1.63 ฿54.4

21.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₽330

$1.50 ฿50.0

164.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ₽74.0

$1.29 ฿43.13

-31.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ₽58.7

$1.11 ฿37.03

-36.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 ₽137

$0.72 ฿24.08

129.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₽78.0

$0.53 ฿17.59

75.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.49 ₽291

$4.31 ฿144

-19.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.31 ₽1,027

$17.95 ฿600

-31.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₽102

$1.58 ฿52.9

-22.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 ₽212

$2.84 ฿95.0

-10.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₽45.15

$0.86 ฿28.86

-37.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ₽302

$1.21 ฿40.29

199.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ₽28.73

$0.57 ฿18.99

-40.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 ₽996

$2.35 ฿78.6

408.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 ₽73.3

$1.44 ฿47.96

-38.89%

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

$42.4K ₽3.5M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

104.32%

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

$40.1K ₽3.3M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

49.68%

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

$191 ₽16.0K

$62.3 ฿2,083

207.00%

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

$8.70 ₽726

$12.11 ฿405

-28.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.88 ₽825

$19.94 ฿666

-50.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 ₽3,365

$37.07 ฿1,239

8.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.01 ₽2,087

$3.78 ฿126

561.64%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 ₽791

$6.50 ฿217

45.69%

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

$344 ₽28.7K

$793 ฿26.5K

-56.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,317 ₽527.2K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-57.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 ₽9,511

$53.7 ฿1,796

112.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.6 ₽5,645

$24.62 ฿823

174.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 ₽12.3K

$90.9 ฿3,036

62.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$189 ₽15.8K

$71.1 ฿2,378

166.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₽41.8K

$455 ฿15.2K

9.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ₽28.3K

$298 ฿9,954

14.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 ₽69.9K

$908 ฿30.4K

-7.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 ₽53.6K

$554 ฿18.5K

16.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ₽185.8K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

15.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,489 ₽124.3K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

3.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$762 ₽63.6K

$591 ฿19.7K

29.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.56

5.57

251.17%

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

Last update for Kostroma: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kostroma

$340 25.9%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 12.3% $42

Groceries & Markets

Kostroma

$268 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 12.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Kostroma

$233 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 53.7% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kostroma

$210 16%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 55% $116

Eating Out

Kostroma

$194 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 59.5% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Kostroma

$59 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 15.5% $9.2

Getting Around

Kostroma

$7.5 * 0.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 710% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Kostroma 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 29% higher in Kostroma, 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 $61.0 in Kostroma versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Kostroma

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:40 2:40 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

4 h ahead of Kostroma

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

277,393

127,240

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 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 RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kostroma Chiang Mai 6,380 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Kostroma
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

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

Kostroma costs about 42% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,968 per month in Kostroma 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 $61.0 in Kostroma and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Kostroma, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Kostroma at $1,312. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kostroma it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,312 in Kostroma. 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, Kostroma makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.