Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bihac and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $982 in Bihac, rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bihac
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Bihac Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bihac

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$982

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $982 in Bihac versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Bihac $982
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,429 in Bihac versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Bihac $1,429
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,876 in Bihac versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Bihac $1,876
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Bihac is roughly 5% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bihac 27% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.77 BAM 11.80

$2.13 ฿71.4

217.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.42 BAM 49.52

$18.62 ฿623

52.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.62 BAM 9.79

$5.60 ฿187

0.36%

Cappuccino

$1.15 BAM 2.01

$1.66 ฿55.6

-30.72%

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

$1.17 BAM 2.04

$0.65 ฿21.63

80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 BAM 1.47

$0.30 ฿10.20

180.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 BAM 2.47

$2.32 ฿77.7

-38.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BAM 2.92

$3.67 ฿123

-54.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 BAM 2.27

$2.02 ฿67.4

-35.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 BAM 1.80

$1.41 ฿47.08

-26.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 BAM 4.23

$1.39 ฿46.54

74.82%

Eggs

$2.90 BAM 5.05

$2.37 ฿79.2

22.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 BAM 17.72

$16.52 ฿552

-38.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.34 BAM 12.79

$2.67 ฿89.3

174.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 BAM 19.00

$9.02 ฿302

20.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 BAM 3.06

$2.40 ฿80.2

-26.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 BAM 2.85

$1.04 ฿34.82

56.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 BAM 2.46

$1.66 ฿55.5

-15.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 BAM 3.40

$1.56 ฿52.1

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 BAM 2.03

$1.24 ฿41.39

-5.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 BAM 2.53

$1.09 ฿36.34

33.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 BAM 1.97

$0.76 ฿25.47

48.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 BAM 1.57

$0.51 ฿17.19

76.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 BAM 6.20

$4.12 ฿138

-13.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.65 BAM 15.08

$17.93 ฿600

-51.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BAM 2.03

$1.62 ฿54.3

-28.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 BAM 3.39

$2.82 ฿94.4

-30.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 BAM 2.07

$0.93 ฿31.25

27.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.36 BAM 59.9

$52.9 ฿1,769

-35.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 BAM 2.03

$1.18 ฿39.35

-1.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 BAM 1.72

$0.17 ฿5.73

482.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.41 BAM 18.13

$1.81 ฿60.6

475.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 BAM 2.73

$1.47 ฿49.25

6.80%

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

$30.6K BAM 53.2K

$21.0K ฿702.6K

45.42%

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

$20.9K BAM 36.5K

$26.5K ฿886.7K

-21.06%

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

$200 BAM 348

$62.6 ฿2,092

219.60%

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

$18.26 BAM 31.81

$11.60 ฿388

57.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.17 BAM 36.89

$20.30 ฿679

4.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.04 BAM 59.3

$37.88 ฿1,267

-10.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.93 BAM 22.52

$3.70 ฿124

249.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.31 BAM 11.00

$6.51 ฿218

-3.07%

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

$137 BAM 239

$727 ฿24.3K

-81.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,856 BAM 4,976

$16.6K ฿554.2K

-82.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.74 BAM 50.1

$53.5 ฿1,790

-46.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.38 BAM 30.28

$24.80 ฿829

-29.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 BAM 166

$90.4 ฿3,023

5.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 BAM 220

$72.0 ฿2,407

75.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 BAM 371

$481 ฿16.1K

-55.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 BAM 347

$310 ฿10.4K

-35.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 BAM 522

$1,058 ฿35.4K

-71.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 BAM 478

$659 ฿22.0K

-58.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,424 BAM 2,480

$2,418 ฿80.8K

-41.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,286 BAM 2,240

$1,609 ฿53.8K

-20.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$762 BAM 1,328

$595 ฿19.9K

28.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

5.57

-22.80%

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

Last update for Bihac: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bihac

$239 24.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60.5% $145

Groceries & Markets

Bihac

$227 23.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 4.1% $9.3

Accommodation & Living

Bihac

$199 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 55.8% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Bihac

$121 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 10.2% $12

Eating Out

Bihac

$103 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 25.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Bihac

$47 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 9.1% $4.2

Getting Around

Bihac

$45 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 29.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $213 in Bihac and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bihac pays 28% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $28 in Bihac vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $227 vs $237, with Bihac cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Bihac

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

21:49 9:49 PM

6 h ahead of Bihac

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,690

127,240

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.574 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BAM – Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark (KM)

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.574 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bihac Chiang Mai 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bihac
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $982 in Bihac and $935 in Chiang Mai, so Chiang Mai is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 28% higher in Bihac, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $213 in Bihac versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $28 in Bihac. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $982 per month in Bihac versus $935 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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