Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budva and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,611 in Budva, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,611

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,611 per month in Budva vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Budva $1,611
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,529 per month in Budva vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Budva $2,529
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,447 per month in Budva vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Budva $3,447
Chiang Mai $1,914

Budva costs about 72% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budva sits 19% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.76 €13.13

$2.26 ฿75.4

553.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.1

$19.18 ฿641

246.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.27 €11.80

$5.59 ฿187

137.39%

Cappuccino

$3.39 €3.02

$1.72 ฿57.6

97.09%

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

$2.21 €1.96

$0.64 ฿21.54

245.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.35

$0.33 ฿11.18

360.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 €4.17

$2.36 ฿78.7

98.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.90 ฿130

9.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.05 ฿68.6

-39.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.40 ฿46.70

-24.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.28 ฿42.89

72.66%

Eggs

$3.07 €2.73

$2.25 ฿75.3

36.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.50 €7.56

$16.94 ฿566

-49.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 €8.08

$2.74 ฿91.6

231.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.17 €10.83

$9.36 ฿313

30.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.40 ฿80.3

-46.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.01 ฿33.92

73.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.61 ฿53.9

-5.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 €2.47

$1.52 ฿50.7

82.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.28 ฿42.90

-33.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.11 ฿37.22

-3.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.48

$0.72 ฿24.09

131.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.52 ฿17.54

80.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.33 ฿145

2.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 €6.82

$17.73 ฿593

-56.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.63 ฿54.4

-34.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.85 ฿95.3

-38.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.53

$0.85 ฿28.31

234.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.74 €35.34

$53.9 ฿1,801

-26.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.17 ฿39.18

-5.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.57 ฿19.00

91.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.85 €14.99

$2.37 ฿79.2

610.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.45 ฿48.32

17.24%

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

$28.5K €25.4K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

39.28%

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

$25.8K €22.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-2.76%

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

$158 €140

$62.3 ฿2,083

153.06%

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

$14.92 €13.27

$12.27 ฿410

21.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.61 €29.89

$19.97 ฿668

68.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 €50.8

$37.91 ฿1,267

50.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.24 €18.89

$3.76 ฿126

464.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 €5.50

$6.71 ฿224

-7.75%

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

$407 €362

$797 ฿26.6K

-48.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,855 €8,765

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-33.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$53.3 ฿1,780

96.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.04 €39.17

$25.05 ฿837

75.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.8 €86.1

$91.6 ฿3,062

5.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 €159

$73.5 ฿2,455

142.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$846 €752

$464 ฿15.5K

82.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 €539

$305 ฿10.2K

98.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 €1,333

$915 ฿30.6K

63.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 €1,022

$552 ฿18.5K

108.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,046 €3,599

$1,912 ฿63.9K

111.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,920 €2,597

$1,438 ฿48.1K

102.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,028 €915

$595 ฿19.9K

72.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.57

6.82%

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

Last update for Budva: 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

Budva

$606 37.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 49.7% $302

Eating Out

Budva

$246 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 67.8% $167

Groceries & Markets

Budva

$235 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 1.1% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budva

$206 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 54.1% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Budva

$191 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 42.6% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Budva

$69 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 26.1% $18

Getting Around

Budva

$58 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 6.3% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $846 in Budva 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 73% higher in Budva, 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 $66.0 in Budva versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Budva vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Budva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Budva

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

23:40 11:40 PM

5 h ahead of Budva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,338

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budva Chiang Mai 7,820 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budva
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,611 in Budva, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 72% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,417 per month in Budva and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,611 in Budva and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 72%.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Budva at $1,611. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budva it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $938 in Chiang Mai to $1,611 in Budva. 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, Budva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.