Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qapshaghay and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,082 in Qapshaghay, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Qapshaghay
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Qapshaghay Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,082

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,082 per month in Qapshaghay vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Qapshaghay $1,082
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,631 per month in Qapshaghay vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Qapshaghay $1,631
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,180 per month in Qapshaghay vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Qapshaghay $2,180
Chiang Mai $1,979

Qapshaghay costs about 16% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Qapshaghay and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Qapshaghay 20% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 ₸4,990

$2.24 ฿75.6

391.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.49 ₸10.2K

$19.00 ฿641

18.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ₸3,002

$5.55 ฿187

19.46%

Cappuccino

$1.73 ₸783

$1.67 ฿56.5

3.59%

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

$1.01 ₸458

$0.64 ฿21.53

57.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₸318

$0.31 ฿10.30

125.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 ₸596

$2.36 ฿79.5

-44.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₸596

$3.66 ฿124

-63.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ₸779

$1.95 ฿65.7

-11.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 ₸199

$1.44 ฿48.45

-69.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 ₸951

$1.33 ฿45.01

57.89%

Eggs

$2.44 ₸1,105

$2.28 ฿77.0

7.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 ₸5,533

$16.45 ฿555

-25.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 ₸2,991

$2.78 ฿93.8

137.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.80 ₸4,894

$9.31 ฿314

16.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ₸818

$2.35 ฿79.4

-22.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 ₸1,081

$0.97 ฿32.78

146.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 ₸1,322

$1.60 ฿53.9

82.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 ₸1,223

$1.50 ฿50.6

80.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₸362

$1.28 ฿43.10

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 ₸252

$1.10 ฿37.17

-49.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 ₸752

$0.71 ฿23.81

133.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₸452

$0.49 ฿16.36

104.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.66 ₸753

$4.14 ฿140

-59.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.95 ₸4,959

$17.52 ฿591

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.61 ฿54.5

-24.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₸1,073

$2.78 ฿93.9

-14.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₸92.7

$0.87 ฿29.29

-77.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ₸8,175

$54.1 ฿1,825

-66.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 ₸383

$1.16 ฿39.03

-27.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 ₸315

$0.53 ฿17.79

32.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 ₸1,771

$2.42 ฿81.7

61.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 ₸274

$1.45 ฿48.87

-58.62%

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

$28.4K ₸12.8M

$21.1K ฿710.3K

34.64%

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

$31.0K ₸14.1M

$26.9K ฿908.7K

15.13%

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

$91.1 ₸41.3K

$62.2 ฿2,097

46.52%

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

$10.77 ₸4,880

$12.17 ฿410

-11.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.05 ₸8,177

$20.12 ฿679

-10.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 ₸19.0K

$37.31 ฿1,259

12.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 ₸2,937

$6.49 ฿219

-0.15%

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

$142 ₸64.5K

$736 ฿24.8K

-80.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,442 ₸2.0M

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-69.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 ₸42.2K

$53.4 ฿1,800

74.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.25 ₸22.3K

$24.64 ฿831

99.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 ₸64.2K

$91.5 ฿3,086

55.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₸59.1K

$71.9 ฿2,426

81.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 ₸200.7K

$482 ฿16.3K

-8.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 ₸139.4K

$309 ฿10.4K

-0.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ₸326.6K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-28.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₸227.8K

$633 ฿21.4K

-20.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,131 ₸512.2K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-52.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$757 ₸342.7K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-52.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

5.57

270.74%

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

Last update for Qapshaghay: 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

Qapshaghay

$308 28.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 0.4% $1.1

Groceries & Markets

Qapshaghay

$245 22.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 4.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Qapshaghay

$187 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 41.8% $78

Eating Out

Qapshaghay

$145 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 46.4% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qapshaghay

$120 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 21.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Qapshaghay

$55 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 8.3% $4.5

Getting Around

Qapshaghay

$23 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 165% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $443 in Qapshaghay 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Qapshaghay versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

00:35 12:35 AM

2 h ahead of Qapshaghay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,167

127,240

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Qapshaghay Chiang Mai 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Qapshaghay
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

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

Qapshaghay costs about 16% 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 $1,623 per month in Qapshaghay and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $443 in Qapshaghay and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $142 per month in Qapshaghay 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 5% more in Qapshaghay, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,082 in Qapshaghay and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,082 in Qapshaghay. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.