Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Poltava and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Poltava: $786 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Poltava, Ukraine
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Poltava
🇺🇦 Ukraine
$786
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $786 per month in Poltava vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Poltava $786
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,005 per month in Poltava vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Poltava $1,005
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,225 per month in Poltava vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Poltava $1,225
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Poltava is about 16% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Poltava and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Poltava 42% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Poltava
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.39 ₴246
$2.24 ฿75.6
140.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.94 ₴1,502
$19.00 ฿641
73.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.71 ₴352
$5.55 ฿187
38.92%
Cappuccino
$1.70 ₴77.7
$1.67 ฿56.5
1.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₴32.82
$0.64 ฿21.53
12.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₴24.48
$0.31 ฿10.30
74.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.95 ₴43.52
$2.36 ฿79.5
-59.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ₴90.9
$3.66 ฿124
-45.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Poltava
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 ₴50.9
$1.95 ฿65.7
-42.56%
White Bread (500g)
$0.75 ₴34.29
$1.44 ฿48.45
-47.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 ₴65.4
$1.33 ฿45.01
8.27%
Eggs
$2.04 ₴93.0
$2.28 ฿77.0
-10.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.55 ₴435
$16.45 ฿555
-41.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.28 ₴241
$2.78 ฿93.8
89.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.50 ₴296
$9.31 ฿314
-30.18%
Apples (1kg)
$1.21 ₴55.3
$2.35 ฿79.4
-48.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 ₴67.8
$0.97 ฿32.78
53.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 ₴81.0
$1.60 ฿53.9
11.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.34 ₴60.9
$1.50 ฿50.6
-10.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 ₴19.22
$1.28 ฿43.10
-67.19%
Onion (1kg)
$0.27 ₴12.44
$1.10 ฿37.17
-75.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 ₴65.5
$0.71 ฿23.81
102.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 ₴27.77
$0.49 ฿16.36
24.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.30 ₴150
$4.14 ฿140
-20.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.81 ₴219
$17.52 ฿591
-72.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ₴36.02
$1.61 ฿54.5
-50.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 ₴62.1
$2.78 ฿93.9
-51.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Poltava
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.47 ₴21.35
$0.87 ฿29.29
-45.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.07 ₴1,326
$54.1 ฿1,825
-46.26%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.16 ₴98.4
$1.16 ฿39.03
86.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.45 ₴20.70
$0.53 ฿17.79
-15.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.68 ₴214
$2.42 ฿81.7
93.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ₴64.7
$1.45 ฿48.87
-2.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.1K ₴1.4M
$21.1K ฿710.3K
42.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K ₴1.1M
$26.9K ฿908.7K
-9.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Poltava
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$60.6 ₴2,764
$62.2 ฿2,097
-2.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.97 ₴227
$12.17 ฿410
-59.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$4.66 ₴212
$20.12 ฿679
-76.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Poltava
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.05 ₴1,279
$37.31 ฿1,259
-24.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.30 ₴333
$3.77 ฿127
93.63%
Cinema Ticket
$3.00 ₴137
$6.49 ฿219
-53.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Poltava
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$279 ₴12.7K
$736 ฿24.8K
-62.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ₴673.7K
$14.8K ฿498.0K
0.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Poltava
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ₴2,847
$53.4 ฿1,800
16.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.59 ₴1,805
$24.64 ฿831
60.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.5 ₴2,940
$91.5 ฿3,086
-29.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.3 ₴3,842
$71.9 ฿2,426
17.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Poltava
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$303 ₴13.8K
$482 ฿16.3K
-37.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$265 ₴12.1K
$309 ฿10.4K
-14.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$633 ฿21.4K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,202 ₴54.8K
$2,363 ฿79.7K
-49.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$826 ₴37.7K
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-47.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Poltava
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$416 ₴19.0K
$590 ฿19.9K
-29.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17.88
5.57
221.01%

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

Last update for Poltava: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Poltava
$265
Chiang Mai
$309 16.4% $43
Groceries & Markets
Poltava
$167
Chiang Mai
$234 40.3% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Poltava
$113
Chiang Mai
$109 3.7% $4.2
Eating Out
Poltava
$101
Chiang Mai
$78 22.8% $23
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Poltava
$70
Chiang Mai
$94 34.5% $24
Getting Around
Poltava
$35
Chiang Mai
$61 73.5% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Poltava
$34
Chiang Mai
$50 47.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $303 in Poltava 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 42% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Poltava versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $167 in Poltava vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Poltava wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇦 Poltava
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
17:14 5:14 PM
22:14 10:14 PM
5 h ahead of Poltava
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
297,600
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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 45.6 UAH (100 UAH = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 50.89 UAH (100 UAH = 1.97 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Poltava Chiang Mai 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Poltava
  • 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
Poltava vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Poltava or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Poltava, 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 Poltava and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,178 per month in Poltava 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, Poltava or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Poltava, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $303 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Poltava and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $279 per month in Poltava and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Poltava or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 40% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Poltava – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Poltava compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Poltava or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Poltava. 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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