Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bitola and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bitola: $859 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Bitola versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Bitola $859
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,289 in Bitola versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Bitola $1,289
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,718 in Bitola versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Bitola $1,718
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Bitola costs roughly 8% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bitola 37% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 MKD 288

$2.24 ฿75.7

133.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.77 MKD 1,475

$19.00 ฿642

40.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 MKD 278

$5.55 ฿188

-9.19%

Cappuccino

$1.96 MKD 108

$1.67 ฿56.6

17.37%

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

$1.71 MKD 94.1

$0.64 ฿21.56

167.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 MKD 80.5

$0.31 ฿10.32

370.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 MKD 119

$2.36 ฿79.6

-8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MKD 145

$3.66 ฿124

-28.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MKD 75.9

$1.95 ฿65.8

-29.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 MKD 36.65

$1.44 ฿48.51

-54.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MKD 94.9

$1.33 ฿45.07

29.32%

Eggs

$1.98 MKD 109

$2.28 ฿77.1

-13.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MKD 547

$16.45 ฿556

-39.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 MKD 376

$2.78 ฿94.0

144.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 MKD 721

$9.31 ฿314

40.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 MKD 55.5

$2.35 ฿79.5

-57.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MKD 76.8

$0.97 ฿32.82

43.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 MKD 68.2

$1.60 ฿53.9

-22.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MKD 87.6

$1.50 ฿50.7

6.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 MKD 49.93

$1.28 ฿43.15

-28.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.7

$1.10 ฿37.22

21.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 MKD 28.97

$0.71 ฿23.84

-25.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MKD 27.36

$0.49 ฿16.38

2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 MKD 182

$4.14 ฿140

-20.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 MKD 334

$17.52 ฿592

-65.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MKD 50.0

$1.61 ฿54.5

-43.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 MKD 101

$2.78 ฿94.0

-34.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MKD 29.55

$0.87 ฿29.33

-37.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.24 MKD 895

$54.1 ฿1,827

-69.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.4

$1.16 ฿39.08

-6.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MKD 31.42

$0.53 ฿17.82

7.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 MKD 348

$2.42 ฿81.8

161.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MKD 82.6

$1.45 ฿48.93

3.45%

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

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

46.61%

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

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

20.13%

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

$148 MKD 8,130

$62.2 ฿2,100

137.25%

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

$14.08 MKD 776

$12.17 ฿411

15.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.62 MKD 696

$20.12 ฿680

-37.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.16 MKD 1,221

$37.31 ฿1,260

-40.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.43 MKD 354

$3.77 ฿127

70.56%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 MKD 252

$6.49 ฿219

-29.58%

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

$211 MKD 11.7K

$736 ฿24.9K

-71.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,167 MKD 64.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-92.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 MKD 4,207

$53.4 ฿1,802

43.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.27 MKD 2,550

$24.64 ฿832

87.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 MKD 4,038

$91.5 ฿3,089

-19.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 MKD 6,101

$71.9 ฿2,429

53.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$260 MKD 14.3K

$482 ฿16.3K

-46.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 MKD 10.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

-40.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 MKD 21.8K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-60.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 MKD 16.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

-53.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,709 MKD 94.2K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-27.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 MKD 63.0K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-28.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MKD 41.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

27.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.57

15.80%

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

Last update for Bitola: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bitola

$198 23.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 18.1% $36

Accommodation & Living

Bitola

$185 21.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 66.7% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bitola

$174 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 45.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Bitola

$138 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 21.2% $29

Eating Out

Bitola

$109 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 29% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Bitola

$31 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 60.6% $19

Getting Around

Bitola

$22 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 175% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $260 in Bitola and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27 in Bitola vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $234, with Bitola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Bitola

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

05:16 5:16 AM

6 h ahead of Bitola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,550

127,240

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.81 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.12 MKD (100 MKD = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.36 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bitola Chiang Mai 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bitola
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $859 in Bitola and $936 in Chiang Mai, so Bitola is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Bitola, 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: $260 in Bitola versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $27 in Bitola. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bitola gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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