Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rostov-on-Don and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,146 in Rostov-on-Don, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rostov-on-Don outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

56

Cost of Living Index in Rostov-on-Don
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Rostov-on-Don Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Rostov-on-Don

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,146

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,146 per month in Rostov-on-Don vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rostov-on-Don $1,146
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,600 per month in Rostov-on-Don vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rostov-on-Don $1,600
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,055 per month in Rostov-on-Don vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rostov-on-Don $2,055
Chiang Mai $1,903

Rostov-on-Don costs about 24% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rostov-on-Don and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Rostov-on-Don 15% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.73 ₽895

$2.29 ฿76.5

368.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.52 ₽2,046

$19.64 ฿656

24.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.97 ₽498

$5.61 ฿188

6.42%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ₽247

$1.66 ฿55.6

78.31%

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

$1.12 ₽93.5

$0.70 ฿23.40

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₽42.78

$0.31 ฿10.24

64.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ₽102

$2.41 ฿80.4

-48.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 ₽259

$3.71 ฿124

-16.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 ₽94.9

$1.95 ฿65.3

-41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 ₽62.1

$1.41 ฿47.03

-47.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 ₽102

$1.31 ฿43.62

-6.87%

Eggs

$1.44 ₽120

$2.18 ฿72.9

-33.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.29 ₽775

$16.65 ฿556

-44.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.36 ₽448

$2.76 ฿92.2

94.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.96 ₽664

$9.11 ฿304

-12.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.44 ₽120

$2.39 ฿80.0

-39.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 ₽155

$1.03 ฿34.26

80.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ₽120

$1.63 ฿54.4

-12.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 ₽192

$1.50 ฿50.0

54.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 ₽56.6

$1.29 ฿43.13

-47.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₽52.6

$1.11 ฿37.03

-43.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ₽83.5

$0.72 ฿24.08

38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₽54.4

$0.53 ฿17.59

22.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 ₽230

$4.31 ฿144

-36.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 ₽508

$17.95 ฿600

-66.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₽80.6

$1.58 ฿52.9

-38.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ₽175

$2.84 ฿95.0

-26.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ₽42.79

$0.86 ฿28.86

-40.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.40 ₽1,202

$53.3 ฿1,780

-72.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 ₽299

$1.21 ฿40.29

195.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.14 ₽12.09

$0.57 ฿18.99

-75.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 ₽338

$2.35 ฿78.6

72.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 ₽67.4

$1.44 ฿47.96

-43.75%

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

$52.1K ₽4.3M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

151.38%

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

$40.8K ₽3.4M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

52.42%

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

$124 ₽10.3K

$62.3 ฿2,083

98.14%

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

$7.47 ₽623

$12.11 ฿405

-38.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.95 ₽747

$19.94 ฿666

-55.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.64 ₽2,891

$37.07 ฿1,239

-6.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.30 ₽1,778

$3.78 ฿126

463.49%

Cinema Ticket

$5.50 ₽459

$6.50 ฿217

-15.38%

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

$365 ₽30.4K

$793 ฿26.5K

-54.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 ₽4,661

$53.7 ฿1,796

3.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.05 ₽3,760

$24.62 ฿823

82.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ₽9,013

$90.9 ฿3,036

18.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ₽8,832

$71.1 ฿2,378

48.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$642 ₽53.6K

$455 ฿15.2K

40.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ₽38.4K

$298 ฿9,954

54.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$896 ₽74.8K

$908 ฿30.4K

-1.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ₽47.7K

$554 ฿18.5K

3.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,355 ₽196.5K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

21.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,508 ₽125.8K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

4.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$825 ₽68.8K

$591 ฿19.7K

39.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.83

5.57

256.01%

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

Last update for Rostov-on-Don: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rostov-on-Don

$460 40.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 35.2% $162

Groceries & Markets

Rostov-on-Don

$180 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 30.9% $56

Eating Out

Rostov-on-Don

$158 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 50.3% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Rostov-on-Don

$142 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 23.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rostov-on-Don

$140 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 32.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Rostov-on-Don

$46 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 9.7% $4.4

Getting Around

Rostov-on-Don

$21 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 193% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $642 in Rostov-on-Don 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 40% higher in Rostov-on-Don, 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 $25.00 in Rostov-on-Don versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $180 in Rostov-on-Don vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Rostov-on-Don wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Rostov-on-Don

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

17:24 5:24 PM

4 h ahead of Rostov-on-Don

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,114,806

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

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Between locations

Rostov-on-Don Chiang Mai 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rostov-on-Don
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

Rostov-on-Don vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rostov-on-Don costs about 24% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,719 per month in Rostov-on-Don 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.

Kindergarten costs $365 per month in Rostov-on-Don and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Rostov-on-Don – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Rostov-on-Don at $1,146. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rostov-on-Don it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,146 in Rostov-on-Don. 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, Rostov-on-Don makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.