Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,541

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,541 per month in Belgrade vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Belgrade $1,541
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,343 per month in Belgrade vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Belgrade $2,343
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,146 per month in Belgrade vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Belgrade $3,146
Chiang Mai $1,979

Belgrade costs about 65% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belgrade sits 13% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.09 RSD 1,373

$2.24 ฿75.7

484.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 RSD 5,887

$19.00 ฿642

195.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 RSD 1,400

$5.55 ฿188

140.54%

Cappuccino

$3.10 RSD 325

$1.67 ฿56.6

85.63%

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

$2.72 RSD 286

$0.64 ฿21.56

325.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 RSD 235

$0.31 ฿10.32

622.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 RSD 368

$2.36 ฿79.6

48.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 RSD 426

$3.66 ฿124

10.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RSD 146

$1.95 ฿65.8

-28.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 RSD 117

$1.44 ฿48.51

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.65 RSD 278

$1.33 ฿45.07

99.25%

Eggs

$2.69 RSD 282

$2.28 ฿77.1

17.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 RSD 1,145

$16.45 ฿556

-33.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 RSD 684

$2.78 ฿94.0

134.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.55 RSD 1,631

$9.31 ฿314

67.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 RSD 167

$2.35 ฿79.5

-32.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 192

$0.97 ฿32.82

88.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 RSD 189

$1.60 ฿53.9

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 RSD 325

$1.50 ฿50.7

106.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 RSD 90.8

$1.28 ฿43.15

-32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 RSD 68.8

$1.10 ฿37.22

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 RSD 80.5

$0.71 ฿23.84

8.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 RSD 72.3

$0.49 ฿16.38

40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.73 RSD 496

$4.14 ฿140

14.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.61 RSD 903

$17.52 ฿592

-50.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 98.8

$1.61 ฿54.5

-41.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 RSD 159

$2.78 ฿94.0

-45.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 RSD 316

$1.16 ฿39.08

160.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 RSD 104

$0.53 ฿17.82

86.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.07 RSD 1,791

$2.42 ฿81.8

605.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 196

$1.45 ฿48.93

28.97%

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

$31.0K RSD 3.3M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

47.33%

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

$23.4K RSD 2.5M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-13.07%

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

$212 RSD 22.3K

$62.2 ฿2,100

241.43%

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

$24.87 RSD 2,609

$12.17 ฿411

104.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.64 RSD 3,633

$20.12 ฿680

72.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.02 RSD 4,197

$37.31 ฿1,260

7.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.70 RSD 2,381

$3.77 ฿127

502.12%

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 RSD 841

$6.49 ฿219

23.57%

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

$439 RSD 46.0K

$736 ฿24.9K

-40.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K RSD 1.2M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-23.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$53.4 ฿1,802

107.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 RSD 4,932

$24.64 ฿832

90.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 RSD 11.8K

$91.5 ฿3,089

23.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 RSD 15.9K

$71.9 ฿2,429

111.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 RSD 84.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

67.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 RSD 57.3K

$309 ฿10.4K

77.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 RSD 162.6K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

54.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$982 RSD 102.9K

$633 ฿21.4K

54.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,342 RSD 560.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

126.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,117 RSD 326.9K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

96.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,217 RSD 127.6K

$590 ฿19.9K

106.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

5.57

-17.24%

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

Last update for Belgrade: 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

Belgrade

$547 35.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 43.5% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$272 17.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 65.2% $177

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$240 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 2.5% $5.9

Eating Out

Belgrade

$228 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 65.9% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$190 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 42.9% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$56 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 10.3% $5.8

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 672% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $806 in Belgrade 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 in Belgrade are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Belgrade versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

15:20 3:20 PM

6 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.53 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.53 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Chiang Mai 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,541 in Belgrade, $936 in Chiang Mai – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,311 per month in Belgrade 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $806 in Belgrade.

Kindergarten costs $439 per month in Belgrade and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,541 in Belgrade and $936 in Chiang Mai. That’s a gap of about 65%.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,541 in Belgrade 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 $1,541 in Belgrade. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.