Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tomsk and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,147 in Tomsk, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Tomsk
Learn more

Tomsk Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Tomsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,147

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,147 per month in Tomsk vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tomsk $1,147
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,768 per month in Tomsk vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tomsk $1,768
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,389 per month in Tomsk vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tomsk $2,389
Chiang Mai $1,979

Tomsk costs about 23% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tomsk and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Tomsk 16% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.05 ₽644

$2.24 ฿75.5

259.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.48 ₽2,438

$19.00 ฿640

60.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 ₽535

$5.55 ฿187

20.36%

Cappuccino

$2.21 ₽177

$1.67 ฿56.4

32.34%

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

$0.91 ₽72.5

$0.64 ฿21.51

42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₽33.39

$0.31 ฿10.29

35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₽93.6

$2.36 ฿79.5

-50.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ₽267

$3.66 ฿123

-8.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ₽98.3

$1.95 ฿65.7

-36.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 ₽56.2

$1.44 ฿48.41

-51.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₽79.1

$1.33 ฿44.97

-25.56%

Eggs

$1.36 ₽109

$2.28 ฿77.0

-40.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.20 ₽976

$16.45 ฿554

-25.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.71 ₽376

$2.78 ฿93.8

69.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 ₽793

$9.31 ฿314

6.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 ₽138

$2.35 ฿79.3

-26.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 ₽156

$0.97 ฿32.75

101.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 ₽178

$1.60 ฿53.8

39.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 ₽235

$1.50 ฿50.6

96.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ₽37.29

$1.28 ฿43.06

-63.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₽28.62

$1.10 ฿37.14

-67.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 ₽139

$0.71 ฿23.79

145.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₽40.44

$0.49 ฿16.34

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 ₽223

$4.14 ฿140

-32.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 ₽493

$17.52 ฿590

-64.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₽73.4

$1.61 ฿54.4

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₽132

$2.78 ฿93.8

-40.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 ₽36.37

$0.87 ฿29.27

-48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.51 ₽1,480

$54.1 ฿1,823

-65.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ₽193

$1.16 ฿39.00

108.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ₽25.82

$0.53 ฿17.78

-39.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.27 ₽582

$2.42 ฿81.6

200.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₽66.4

$1.45 ฿48.82

-42.76%

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

$54.1K ₽4.3M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

156.88%

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

$41.8K ₽3.3M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

55.06%

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

$169 ₽13.5K

$62.2 ฿2,095

171.87%

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

$8.39 ₽671

$12.17 ฿410

-31.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.60 ₽1,088

$20.12 ฿678

-32.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.40 ₽3,151

$37.31 ฿1,257

5.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.58 ₽1,326

$3.77 ฿127

339.79%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 ₽390

$6.49 ฿219

-24.96%

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

$252 ₽20.1K

$736 ฿24.8K

-65.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ₽9,747

$53.4 ฿1,799

128.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.6 ₽5,969

$24.64 ฿830

202.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$176 ₽14.1K

$91.5 ฿3,083

92.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ₽10.1K

$71.9 ฿2,424

74.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 ₽40.9K

$482 ฿16.3K

5.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ₽26.5K

$309 ฿10.4K

7.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 ₽66.3K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-17.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 ₽52.1K

$633 ฿21.3K

2.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,096 ₽167.7K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-11.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 ₽122.7K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-3.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$930 ₽74.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

57.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

294.97%

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

Last update for Tomsk: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tomsk

$332 28.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 6.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Tomsk

$224 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 51.6% $116

Groceries & Markets

Tomsk

$198 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 18.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tomsk

$191 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 50.5% $97

Eating Out

Tomsk

$129 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 39.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Tomsk

$49 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 2.3% $1.1

Getting Around

Tomsk

$24 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 152% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Tomsk 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 58% higher in Tomsk. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Tomsk versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Tomsk vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Tomsk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Tomsk

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

Same time as Tomsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

551,505

127,240

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.25 USD

100 RUB = 1.12 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 79.99 RUB (100 RUB = 1.25 USD). 1 EUR = 89.04 RUB (100 RUB = 1.12 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tomsk Chiang Mai 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tomsk
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

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

Tomsk costs about 23% 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 $1,721 per month in Tomsk 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 $511 in Tomsk and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $252 per month in Tomsk and $736 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 16% cheaper in Tomsk – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,147 in Tomsk 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 $1,147 in Tomsk. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tomsk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.