Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulyanovsk and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulyanovsk: $886 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $620 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

Ulyanovsk
🇷🇺 Russia
$886
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$938
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $886 per month in Ulyanovsk vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Ulyanovsk $886
  • Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,363 per month in Ulyanovsk vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Ulyanovsk $1,363
  • Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,840 per month in Ulyanovsk vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Ulyanovsk $1,840
  • Chiang Mai $1,914

Ulyanovsk is about 6% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ulyanovsk and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ulyanovsk 34% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ulyanovsk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.26 ₽690
$2.26 ฿75.4
265.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.69 ₽2,478
$19.18 ฿641
54.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.32 ₽528
$5.59 ฿187
13.06%
Cappuccino
$2.27 ₽190
$1.72 ฿57.6
31.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 ₽75.3
$0.64 ฿21.54
40.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ₽29.18
$0.33 ฿11.18
6.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.81 ₽151
$2.36 ฿78.7
-23.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 ₽162
$3.90 ฿130
-50.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ulyanovsk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 ₽85.4
$2.05 ฿68.6
-50.24%
White Bread (500g)
$0.58 ₽48.04
$1.40 ฿46.70
-58.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.04 ₽86.5
$1.28 ฿42.89
-18.75%
Eggs
$1.40 ₽117
$2.25 ฿75.3
-37.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.19 ₽1,184
$16.94 ฿566
-16.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.26 ₽606
$2.74 ฿91.6
164.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.26 ₽606
$9.36 ฿313
-22.44%
Apples (1kg)
$1.52 ₽127
$2.40 ฿80.3
-36.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 ₽126
$1.01 ฿33.92
49.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.91 ₽326
$1.61 ฿53.9
142.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.60 ₽384
$1.52 ฿50.7
202.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ₽122
$1.28 ฿42.90
14.06%
Onion (1kg)
$0.82 ₽68.3
$1.11 ฿37.22
-26.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$0.72 ฿24.09
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₽46.50
$0.52 ฿17.54
7.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 ₽254
$4.33 ฿145
-29.79%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$17.73 ฿593
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 ₽90.9
$1.63 ฿54.4
-33.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.85 ฿95.3
-
🚌 Getting Around
Ulyanovsk
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.43 ₽36.28
$0.85 ฿28.31
-49.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$53.9 ฿1,801
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.53 ₽294
$1.17 ฿39.18
201.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$0.57 ฿19.00
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.64 ₽304
$2.37 ฿79.2
53.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 ₽68.9
$1.45 ฿48.32
-42.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$20.5K ฿684.3K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.0K ₽2.2M
$26.5K ฿886.1K
-2.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ulyanovsk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$139 ₽11.6K
$62.3 ฿2,083
122.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.73 ₽395
$12.27 ฿410
-61.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.72 ₽1,145
$19.97 ฿668
-31.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ulyanovsk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.45 ₽3,042
$37.91 ฿1,267
-3.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.86 ₽2,075
$3.76 ฿126
561.17%
Cinema Ticket
$8.30 ₽693
$6.71 ฿224
23.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ulyanovsk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$797 ฿26.6K
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$14.8K ฿495.7K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ulyanovsk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$30.11 ₽2,513
$53.3 ฿1,780
-43.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.99 ₽3,004
$25.05 ฿837
43.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.4 ₽7,875
$91.6 ฿3,062
2.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.3 ₽4,951
$73.5 ฿2,455
-19.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ulyanovsk
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$360 ₽30.0K
$464 ฿15.5K
-22.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$241 ₽20.1K
$305 ฿10.2K
-20.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$469 ₽39.1K
$915 ฿30.6K
-48.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$423 ₽35.3K
$552 ฿18.5K
-23.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,609 ₽217.8K
$1,912 ฿63.9K
36.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,463 ₽122.1K
$1,438 ฿48.1K
1.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ulyanovsk
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$504 ₽42.1K
$595 ฿19.9K
-15.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
23
5.57
312.93%

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

Last update for Ulyanovsk: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ulyanovsk
$241
Chiang Mai
$305 26.4% $64
Groceries & Markets
Ulyanovsk
$200 *
Chiang Mai
$238 19.1% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ulyanovsk
$157
Chiang Mai
$95 39.9% $63
Eating Out
Ulyanovsk
$130
Chiang Mai
$79 39.4% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Ulyanovsk
$99
Chiang Mai
$110 10.7% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Ulyanovsk
$53
Chiang Mai
$51 3.2% $1.7
Getting Around
Ulyanovsk
$5.3 *
Chiang Mai
$61 1063% $56

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $360 in Ulyanovsk versus $464 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 18% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $30.00 in Ulyanovsk versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Ulyanovsk vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Ulyanovsk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇷🇺 Ulyanovsk
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
11:56 11:56 AM
14:56 2:56 PM
3 h ahead of Ulyanovsk
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
627,705
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ulyanovsk Chiang Mai 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ulyanovsk
  • 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
Ulyanovsk vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ulyanovsk or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 6% more than Ulyanovsk, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 Ulyanovsk and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,328 per month in Ulyanovsk and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Ulyanovsk or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulyanovsk, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Ulyanovsk compared to Chiang Mai?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $886 in Ulyanovsk and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 6%.
Are groceries more expensive in Ulyanovsk or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 19% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ulyanovsk or in Chiang Mai?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ulyanovsk, where all-in costs run around $886, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Ulyanovsk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ulyanovsk or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ulyanovsk costs $886 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Ulyanovsk compared to Chiang Mai?
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.
Should I move to Ulyanovsk or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Ulyanovsk. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, 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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