Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osh and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Osh: $705 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Osh
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Osh Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Osh

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$705

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $705 per month in Osh vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Osh $705
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,140 per month in Osh vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Osh $1,140
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,575 per month in Osh vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Osh $1,575
Chiang Mai $1,979

Osh is about 25% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Osh and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Osh 48% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 KGS 398

$2.24 ฿75.6

103.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.74 KGS 1,989

$19.00 ฿641

19.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 KGS 786

$5.55 ฿187

61.98%

Cappuccino

$1.97 KGS 172

$1.67 ฿56.5

17.96%

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

$0.83 KGS 72.4

$0.64 ฿21.54

29.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 KGS 22.51

$0.31 ฿10.31

-16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 KGS 101

$2.36 ฿79.5

-51.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 KGS 108

$3.66 ฿124

-66.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 KGS 79.4

$1.95 ฿65.7

-53.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 KGS 32.65

$1.44 ฿48.46

-74.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 KGS 105

$1.33 ฿45.03

-9.02%

Eggs

$1.46 KGS 128

$2.28 ฿77.1

-35.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.91 KGS 430

$16.45 ฿555

-70.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 KGS 310

$2.78 ฿93.9

27.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.82 KGS 684

$9.31 ฿314

-16.00%

Apples (1kg)

$0.62 KGS 54.4

$2.35 ฿79.4

-73.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 KGS 134

$0.97 ฿32.79

57.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 KGS 196

$1.60 ฿53.9

40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 KGS 102

$1.50 ฿50.6

-22.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 KGS 41.23

$1.28 ฿43.11

-63.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 KGS 37.72

$1.10 ฿37.18

-60.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 KGS 55.0

$0.71 ฿23.82

-11.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 KGS 59.8

$0.49 ฿16.36

38.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.08 KGS 182

$4.14 ฿140

-49.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 KGS 438

$17.52 ฿591

-71.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 KGS 102

$1.61 ฿54.5

-27.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 KGS 151

$2.78 ฿93.9

-37.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 KGS 19.12

$0.87 ฿29.30

-74.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.95 KGS 1,045

$54.1 ฿1,825

-77.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.22 KGS 19.22

$1.16 ฿39.04

-81.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 KGS 29.51

$0.53 ฿17.80

-35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 KGS 685

$2.42 ฿81.7

223.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 KGS 85.2

$1.45 ฿48.88

-33.10%

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

$18.0K KGS 1.6M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

-14.33%

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

$17.1K KGS 1.5M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-36.69%

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

$39.07 KGS 3,417

$62.2 ฿2,098

-37.16%

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

$5.14 KGS 449

$12.17 ฿411

-57.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.37 KGS 820

$20.12 ฿679

-53.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.04 KGS 3,939

$37.31 ฿1,259

20.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.70 KGS 1,723

$3.77 ฿127

422.55%

Cinema Ticket

$3.49 KGS 305

$6.49 ฿219

-46.22%

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

$168 KGS 14.7K

$736 ฿24.8K

-77.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,886 KGS 164.9K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-87.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.23 KGS 1,682

$53.4 ฿1,801

-63.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.24 KGS 3,169

$24.64 ฿831

47.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.3 KGS 4,749

$91.5 ฿3,087

-40.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.8 KGS 4,441

$71.9 ฿2,427

-29.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 KGS 31.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

-26.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 KGS 24.0K

$309 ฿10.4K

-11.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$922 KGS 80.6K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-8.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 KGS 50.2K

$633 ฿21.4K

-9.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,219 KGS 106.6K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-48.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,044 KGS 91.3K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-34.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$302 KGS 26.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

-48.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Osh: 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

Osh

$275 38.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 12.5% $34

Groceries & Markets

Osh

$139 19.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 68.9% $96

Eating Out

Osh

$100 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 22.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Osh

$72 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 50.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osh

$54 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 76.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Osh

$52 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 3.3% $1.7

Getting Around

Osh

$15 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 317% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $355 in Osh 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 96% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Osh versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $139 in Osh vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Osh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Osh

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:11 7:11 PM

20:11 8:11 PM

1 h ahead of Osh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,347

127,240

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KGS – Kyrgyzstani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstani Som (сом)

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 87.46 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 97.66 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to KGS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Osh Chiang Mai 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Osh
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 33% more than Osh, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,058 per month in Osh and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Osh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $355 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $168 per month in Osh and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Osh, where all-in costs run around $705, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Osh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Osh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Osh. 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.