Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Banja Luka

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,198 in Banja Luka, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Banja Luka
Learn more

Banja Luka Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Banja Luka

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,198

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Banja Luka

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Banja Luka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,198 in Banja Luka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Banja Luka $1,198

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,826 in Banja Luka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Banja Luka $1,826

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,454 in Banja Luka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Banja Luka $2,454

Chiang Mai is about 22% cheaper than Banja Luka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Banja Luka are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Banja Luka 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$9.52 BAM 16.67

-76.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$49.53 BAM 86.8

-61.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.69 BAM 18.72

-48.08%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.84 BAM 3.23

-9.24%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$2.55 BAM 4.47

-74.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.69 BAM 2.96

-81.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.36 BAM 4.13

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.37 BAM 5.90

8.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.37 BAM 2.41

42.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.23 BAM 2.15

17.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.59 BAM 2.78

-16.35%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.89 BAM 5.06

-21.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.76 BAM 17.10

68.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$8.92 BAM 15.63

-68.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.07 BAM 24.65

-33.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.84 BAM 3.23

27.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.96 BAM 3.44

-50.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.21 BAM 3.88

-27.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.16 BAM 3.78

-30.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.99 BAM 1.73

29.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.37 BAM 2.39

-19.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.13 BAM 1.98

-37.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.89 BAM 1.57

-44.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.92 BAM 6.86

5.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.99 BAM 14.00

119.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.99 BAM 1.74

62.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.41 BAM 2.47

97.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$1.33 BAM 2.33

-34.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$45.28 BAM 79.3

19.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.69 BAM 2.96

-31.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.12 BAM 1.96

-52.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$16.85 BAM 29.51

-85.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.77 BAM 3.10

-18.08%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$30.4K BAM 53.3K

-30.84%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$21.1K BAM 37.0K

27.43%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$163 BAM 285

-61.74%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$16.51 BAM 28.93

-26.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$36.88 BAM 64.6

-45.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$36.35 BAM 63.7

2.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$15.04 BAM 26.35

-74.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.78 BAM 10.12

12.28%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$283 BAM 496

159.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$3,604 BAM 6,314

309.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$82.1 BAM 144

-35.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$36.26 BAM 63.5

-32.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$106 BAM 185

-13.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$145 BAM 254

-50.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$435 BAM 763

10.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$299 BAM 524

3.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$658 BAM 1,153

52.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$471 BAM 826

34.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,826 BAM 4,951

-16.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,912 BAM 3,349

-16.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$887 BAM 1,555

-33.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.44

25.45%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Banja Luka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Banja Luka

$299 25% 3.3% $10

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Banja Luka

$245 20.5% 4.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Banja Luka

$166 13.9% 52.8% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Banja Luka

$216 18% 129% $121

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Banja Luka

$166 13.8% 114% $88

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Banja Luka

$58 4.8% 5.6% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Banja Luka

$48 4% 4.7% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $435 in Banja Luka. 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 50% higher in Banja Luka. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $50 in Banja Luka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $245 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇦 Banja Luka

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

11:13 11:13 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

138,963

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BAM = 0.571 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Banja Luka 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Banja Luka

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

Chiang Mai vs Banja Luka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Banja Luka is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,796 in Banja Luka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Banja Luka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $435 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Banja Luka, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $50 in Banja Luka. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,198 in Banja Luka. 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 $1,198 in Banja Luka. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Banja Luka makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.