Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Semey and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Semey: $712 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Semey
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Semey Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Semey

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$712

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $712 per month in Semey vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Semey $712
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,148 per month in Semey vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Semey $1,148
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,584 per month in Semey vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Semey $1,584
Chiang Mai $1,979

Semey is about 24% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.93 ₸2,235

$2.24 ฿75.6

120.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.82 ₸9,898

$19.00 ฿641

14.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.49 ₸2,491

$5.55 ฿187

-1.08%

Cappuccino

$1.70 ₸771

$1.67 ฿56.5

1.80%

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

$0.76 ₸345

$0.64 ฿21.55

18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₸216

$0.31 ฿10.31

54.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 ₸412

$2.36 ฿79.6

-61.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₸614

$3.66 ฿124

-63.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 ₸469

$1.95 ฿65.8

-47.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 ₸167

$1.44 ฿48.48

-74.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ₸845

$1.33 ฿45.04

39.85%

Eggs

$1.53 ₸693

$2.28 ฿77.1

-32.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.36 ₸2,432

$16.45 ฿555

-67.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 ₸1,751

$2.78 ฿93.9

38.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.43 ₸2,461

$9.31 ฿314

-41.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 ₸559

$2.35 ฿79.4

-47.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₸748

$0.97 ฿32.80

70.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 ₸781

$1.60 ฿53.9

7.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 ₸768

$1.50 ฿50.6

12.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 ₸176

$1.28 ฿43.12

-69.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 ₸274

$1.10 ฿37.19

-45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₸461

$0.71 ฿23.82

43.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸448

$0.49 ฿16.37

102.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₸1,116

$4.14 ฿140

-40.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 ₸3,282

$17.52 ฿591

-58.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₸596

$1.61 ฿54.5

-18.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₸998

$2.78 ฿94.0

-20.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸114

$0.87 ฿29.31

-71.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.69 ₸7,119

$54.1 ฿1,826

-70.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₸586

$1.16 ฿39.06

11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 ₸515

$0.53 ฿17.80

115.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.54 ₸2,968

$2.42 ฿81.8

170.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 ₸293

$1.45 ฿48.90

-55.17%

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

$32.4K ₸14.7M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

53.71%

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

$26.3K ₸11.9M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-2.46%

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

$33.66 ₸15.3K

$62.2 ฿2,098

-45.86%

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

$9.01 ₸4,088

$12.17 ฿411

-25.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.84 ₸8,544

$20.12 ฿679

-6.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 ₸19.2K

$37.31 ฿1,259

13.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.23 ₸5,095

$3.77 ฿127

197.88%

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 ₸1,993

$6.49 ฿219

-32.36%

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

$132 ₸60.0K

$736 ฿24.8K

-82.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,406 ₸2.0M

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-70.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.90 ₸13.1K

$53.4 ฿1,801

-45.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.47 ₸11.6K

$24.64 ฿831

3.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₸45.4K

$91.5 ฿3,087

9.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.6 ₸34.7K

$71.9 ฿2,428

6.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$339 ₸153.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

-29.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 ₸103.8K

$309 ฿10.4K

-25.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 ₸276.9K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-39.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 ₸221.6K

$633 ฿21.4K

-22.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,205 ₸546.7K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-49.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$739 ₸335.4K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-53.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.25

5.57

245.60%

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

Last update for Semey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Semey

$229 32.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 35% $80

Groceries & Markets

Semey

$154 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 51.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Semey

$104 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 4.5% $4.7

Eating Out

Semey

$88 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 12.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Semey

$62 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 53.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Semey

$51 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 1.7% $0.9

Getting Around

Semey

$24 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 159% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $339 in Semey 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 Semey versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $154 in Semey vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Semey wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Semey

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

17:08 5:08 PM

2 h ahead of Semey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

310,456

127,240

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.2 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 = 454 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Semey Chiang Mai 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Semey
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Semey, 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 $1,068 per month in Semey 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 Semey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $339 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $132 per month in Semey 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 52% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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