Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bečej and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bečej: $843 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bečej
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Bečej Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bečej

🇷🇸 Serbia

$843

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $843 in Bečej versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Bečej $843
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,250 in Bečej versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Bečej $1,250
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,657 in Bečej versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Bečej $1,657
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Bečej costs roughly 10% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bečej 38% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.51 RSD 680

$2.13 ฿71.7

205.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.92 RSD 3,541

$18.62 ฿625

82.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 RSD 982

$5.60 ฿188

68.04%

Cappuccino

$1.12 RSD 117

$1.66 ฿55.9

-32.53%

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

$1.47 RSD 153

$0.65 ฿21.73

126.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 RSD 81.8

$0.30 ฿10.24

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 RSD 151

$2.32 ฿78.0

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 RSD 193

$3.67 ฿123

-49.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 RSD 101

$2.02 ฿67.7

-51.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 RSD 116

$1.41 ฿47.29

-21.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 RSD 154

$1.39 ฿46.75

5.76%

Eggs

$2.02 RSD 211

$2.37 ฿79.5

-14.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 RSD 953

$16.52 ฿555

-44.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.79 RSD 709

$2.67 ฿89.7

154.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.93 RSD 723

$9.02 ฿303

-23.17%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 RSD 97.9

$2.40 ฿80.6

-60.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 RSD 183

$1.04 ฿34.98

68.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RSD 161

$1.66 ฿55.7

-7.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 RSD 201

$1.56 ฿52.4

23.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 RSD 68.8

$1.24 ฿41.57

-46.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 RSD 32.98

$1.09 ฿36.50

-70.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 RSD 73.3

$0.76 ฿25.59

-7.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 RSD 62.4

$0.51 ฿17.27

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 RSD 404

$4.12 ฿138

-6.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.92 RSD 409

$17.93 ฿602

-78.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 RSD 73.2

$1.62 ฿54.5

-56.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 RSD 95.8

$2.82 ฿94.8

-67.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RSD 84.8

$0.93 ฿31.39

-12.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 RSD 204

$1.18 ฿39.52

65.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 RSD 82.6

$0.17 ฿5.76

364.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.63 RSD 1,005

$1.81 ฿60.9

432.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 RSD 197

$1.47 ฿49.47

27.89%

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

$30.8K RSD 3.2M

$21.0K ฿705.8K

46.73%

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

$23.8K RSD 2.5M

$26.5K ฿890.7K

-10.38%

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

$62.7 RSD 6,541

$62.6 ฿2,101

0.16%

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

$9.56 RSD 998

$11.60 ฿390

-17.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.96 RSD 2,397

$20.30 ฿682

13.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.12 RSD 2,622

$37.88 ฿1,272

-33.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$8.31 RSD 867

$6.51 ฿219

27.65%

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

$454 RSD 47.4K

$727 ฿24.4K

-37.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

$16.6K ฿556.7K

-25.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 RSD 11.7K

$53.5 ฿1,798

109.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.87 RSD 4,788

$24.80 ฿833

84.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.4 RSD 6,516

$90.4 ฿3,036

-30.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 RSD 11.8K

$72.0 ฿2,418

56.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$308 RSD 32.1K

$481 ฿16.2K

-36.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 RSD 27.1K

$310 ฿10.4K

-16.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 RSD 44.7K

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-59.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 RSD 32.9K

$659 ฿22.1K

-52.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,189 RSD 228.5K

$2,418 ฿81.2K

-9.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,798 RSD 187.7K

$1,609 ฿54.0K

11.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$516 RSD 53.9K

$595 ฿20.0K

-13.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.57

-19.21%

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

Last update for Bečej: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bečej

$260 30.8%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 19.2% $50

Groceries & Markets

Bečej

$174 20.6%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 36.2% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Bečej

$150 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 27.8% $42

Eating Out

Bečej

$114 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 32.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bečej

$95 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 0.7% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bečej

$42 5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 22% $9.2

Getting Around

Bečej

$9.2 * 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 540% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $308 in Bečej and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 15% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $34 in Bečej vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $174 vs $237, with Bečej cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Bečej

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

6 h ahead of Bečej

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,492

127,240

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.51 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 118 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.51 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bečej Chiang Mai 7,680 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bečej
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

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

Bečej is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Bečej. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $308 in Bečej versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $843 per month in Bečej versus $935 in Chiang Mai – Bečej is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bečej and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bečej wins on affordability, Chiang Mai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.