Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bečej

For one person, living is cheaper in Bečej: $843 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bečej
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Bečej Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Bečej

🇷🇸 Serbia

$843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Bečej

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 Bečej actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $843 in Bečej.

Chiang Mai $935
Bečej $843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $1,250 in Bečej.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Bečej $1,250

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $1,657 in Bečej.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Bečej $1,657

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 11% more expensive than in Bečej, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bečej 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$6.51 RSD 680

-67.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$33.92 RSD 3,541

-45.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$9.41 RSD 982

-40.49%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.12 RSD 117

48.21%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$1.47 RSD 153

-55.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.78 RSD 81.8

-61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$1.45 RSD 151

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$1.84 RSD 193

99.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$0.97 RSD 101

108.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.11 RSD 116

27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.47 RSD 154

-5.44%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.02 RSD 211

17.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$9.13 RSD 953

80.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$6.79 RSD 709

-60.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$6.93 RSD 723

30.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$0.94 RSD 97.9

155.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.75 RSD 183

-40.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.54 RSD 161

7.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.93 RSD 201

-19.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.66 RSD 68.8

87.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.32 RSD 32.98

240.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.70 RSD 73.3

8.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.60 RSD 62.4

-15.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.87 RSD 404

6.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$3.92 RSD 409

357.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$0.70 RSD 73.2

131.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$0.92 RSD 95.8

206.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.81 RSD 84.8

14.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$1.95 RSD 204

-39.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.79 RSD 82.6

-78.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$9.63 RSD 1,005

-81.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.88 RSD 197

-21.81%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$30.8K RSD 3.2M

-31.85%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$23.8K RSD 2.5M

11.59%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$62.7 RSD 6,541

-0.16%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$9.56 RSD 998

21.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$22.96 RSD 2,397

-11.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$25.12 RSD 2,622

50.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$8.31 RSD 867

-21.66%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$454 RSD 47.4K

60.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$12.4K RSD 1.3M

33.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$112 RSD 11.7K

-52.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$45.87 RSD 4,788

-45.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$62.4 RSD 6,516

44.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$113 RSD 11.8K

-36.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$308 RSD 32.1K

56.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$260 RSD 27.1K

19.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$429 RSD 44.7K

146.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$315 RSD 32.9K

109.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$2,189 RSD 228.5K

10.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$1,798 RSD 187.7K

-10.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$516 RSD 53.9K

15.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.5

23.78%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bečej: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Bečej

$260 30.8% 16.1% $50

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Bečej

$174 20.6% 26.6% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Bečej

$150 17.8% 38.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bečej

$95 11.3% 0.8% $0.7

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Bečej

$114 13.5% 48.4% $37

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Bečej

$9.2 * 1.1% 84.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Bečej

$42 5% 18% $9.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $308 in Bečej. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 15% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $34 in Bečej. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $174, with Bečej cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇸 Bečej

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

19,492

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 118 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.51 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Bečej 7,680 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bečej

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 Bečej: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bečej is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Chiang Mai, 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: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $308 in Bečej. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $935 per month in Chiang Mai versus $843 in Bečej – Bečej is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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