Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Berane

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,290 in Berane, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Berane
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Berane Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Berane

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,290

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $925 in Chiang Mai versus $1,290 in Berane.

Chiang Mai $925
Berane $1,290

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,414 in Chiang Mai versus $2,020 in Berane.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Berane $2,020

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,903 in Chiang Mai versus $2,750 in Berane.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Berane $2,750

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 28% less than in Berane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 32% lower, Berane 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$11.30 €10.05

-79.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$36.82 €32.75

-46.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$9.09 €8.09

-38.28%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.49 €2.22

-33.33%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$2.49 €2.21

-71.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.62 €1.44

-80.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.74 €2.43

-12.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.34 €2.97

11.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.16 €1.03

68.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.96 €0.85

46.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.79 €2.48

-53.05%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.99 €2.66

-27.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$8.80 €7.83

89.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$7.56 €6.72

-63.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$12.66 €11.26

-28.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.33 €1.19

79.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.53 €1.36

-32.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.62 €1.45

0.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.88 €2.56

-47.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.94 €0.84

37.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.23 €1.09

-9.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.51 €1.35

-52.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.93 €0.83

-43.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.02 €3.57

7.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$4.48 €3.98

300.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.24 €1.11

27.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.73 €1.54

64.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$1.70 €1.51

-49.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$39.62 €35.24

34.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.11 €0.99

9.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.13 €1.01

-49.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$16.68 €14.84

-85.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.72 €1.53

-16.28%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$32.6K €29.0K

-36.46%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$21.2K €18.8K

26.49%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$133 €118

-53.18%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$12.78 €11.36

-5.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$33.79 €30.06

-40.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$46.88 €41.70

-20.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$14.56 €12.96

-74.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$7.91 €7.03

-17.83%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$441 €392

79.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$6,894 €6,132

114.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$83.1 €74.0

-35.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$33.16 €29.50

-25.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$71.9 €63.9

26.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$96.7 €86.0

-26.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$638 €568

-28.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$458 €407

-34.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,272 €1,131

-28.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$945 €840

-41.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$3,397 €3,021

-43.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$2,369 €2,107

-39.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$562 €500

5.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.40%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Berane: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Berane

$458 35.5% 53.7% $160

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Berane

$224 17.4% 4.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Berane

$128 9.9% 18.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Berane

$180 13.9% 90.4% $85

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Berane

$184 14.3% 135% $106

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Berane

$53 4.1% 12.5% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Berane

$63 4.9% 25.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $455 in Chiang Mai and $638 in Berane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20.00 in Chiang Mai vs $37.00 in Berane. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $224, with Berane cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇪 Berane

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

05:31 5:31 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

11,073

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Berane 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Berane

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 Berane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $455 in Chiang Mai versus $638 in Berane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $925 per month in Chiang Mai versus $1,290 in Berane – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 34% less than in Berane. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $1,290 in Berane, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Berane. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chiang Mai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Berane, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Berane are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Berane. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.