Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandalgovi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandalgovi: $639 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Mandalgovi
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Mandalgovi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mandalgovi

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$639

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $639 per month in Mandalgovi vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mandalgovi $639
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,051 per month in Mandalgovi vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mandalgovi $1,051
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,462 per month in Mandalgovi vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mandalgovi $1,462
Chiang Mai $1,914

Mandalgovi is about 32% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Mandalgovi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mandalgovi 53% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.42 MNT 19.5K

$2.26 ฿75.4

139.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.55 MNT 117.0K

$19.18 ฿641

69.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 MNT 20.1K

$5.59 ฿187

0.18%

Cappuccino

$2.43 MNT 8,754

$1.72 ฿57.6

41.28%

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

$0.84 MNT 3,012

$0.64 ฿21.54

31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 MNT 2,175

$0.33 ฿11.18

81.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MNT 8,621

$2.36 ฿78.7

1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 MNT 11.8K

$3.90 ฿130

-15.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MNT 5,353

$2.05 ฿68.6

-27.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MNT 3,552

$1.40 ฿46.70

-29.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 MNT 7,664

$1.28 ฿42.89

66.41%

Eggs

$2.08 MNT 7,496

$2.25 ฿75.3

-7.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 MNT 44.5K

$16.94 ฿566

-26.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.76 MNT 17.1K

$2.74 ฿91.6

73.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 MNT 23.7K

$9.36 ฿313

-29.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MNT 11.2K

$2.40 ฿80.3

29.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 MNT 8,487

$1.01 ฿33.92

133.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 MNT 13.1K

$1.61 ฿53.9

126.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 MNT 10.6K

$1.52 ฿50.7

94.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 MNT 2,526

$1.28 ฿42.90

-45.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 MNT 3,900

$1.11 ฿37.22

-2.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 MNT 5,985

$0.72 ฿24.09

130.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 MNT 2,839

$0.52 ฿17.54

51.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.71 MNT 6,154

$4.33 ฿145

-60.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 MNT 37.3K

$17.73 ฿593

-41.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 MNT 5,373

$1.63 ฿54.4

-8.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 MNT 6,222

$2.85 ฿95.3

-39.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 MNT 1,829

$1.17 ฿39.18

-56.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 MNT 1,989

$0.57 ฿19.00

-3.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 MNT 22.8K

$2.37 ฿79.2

167.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 MNT 4,059

$1.45 ฿48.32

-22.07%

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

$26.8K MNT 96.4M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

30.90%

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

$35.3K MNT 127.0M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

33.22%

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

$72.0 MNT 259.0K

$62.3 ฿2,083

15.56%

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

$7.59 MNT 27.3K

$12.27 ฿410

-38.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.42 MNT 48.3K

$19.97 ฿668

-32.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$4.14 MNT 14.9K

$6.71 ฿224

-38.30%

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

$812 MNT 2.9M

$797 ฿26.6K

1.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,138 MNT 29.3M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-45.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.0 MNT 298.4K

$53.3 ฿1,780

55.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.52 MNT 160.1K

$25.05 ฿837

77.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MNT 370.4K

$91.6 ฿3,062

12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$187 MNT 670.7K

$73.5 ฿2,455

153.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.32

5.57

85.28%

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

Last update for Mandalgovi: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mandalgovi

$233 36.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 1.9% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Mandalgovi

$188 29.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 41.6% $78

Eating Out

Mandalgovi

$114 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 30.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandalgovi

$93 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 1.7% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Mandalgovi

$8.3 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 520% $43

Getting Around

Mandalgovi

$3.3 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 1775% $58

Accommodation & Living

Mandalgovi

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Mandalgovi versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $233 in Mandalgovi vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Mandalgovi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Mandalgovi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

21:26 9:26 PM

1 h behind Mandalgovi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,888

127,240

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MNT – Mongolian Tögrög Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇳 Mongolian Tögrög (₮)

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,596 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,043 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MNT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mandalgovi Chiang Mai 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mandalgovi
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 47% more than Mandalgovi, 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 $959 per month in Mandalgovi and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Mandalgovi and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mandalgovi, where all-in costs run around $639, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Mandalgovi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mandalgovi costs $639 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Mandalgovi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.