Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bijeljina

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Bijeljina: $938 and $910 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Bijeljina
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Bijeljina Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Bijeljina

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$910

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $910 in Bijeljina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Bijeljina $910

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,411 in Bijeljina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Bijeljina $1,411

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,911 in Bijeljina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Bijeljina $1,911

Chiang Mai costs about 3% more than Bijeljina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Bijeljina are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Bijeljina 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$8.33 BAM 14.49

-72.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$33.75 BAM 58.7

-43.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$4.70 BAM 8.17

18.94%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.46 BAM 2.55

17.81%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.74 BAM 3.03

-63.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.05 BAM 1.83

-68.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.74 BAM 3.03

35.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.32 BAM 4.03

68.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.49 BAM 2.60

37.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.16 BAM 2.02

20.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.64 BAM 2.85

-21.95%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.14 BAM 5.47

-28.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$7.66 BAM 13.32

121.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$7.99 BAM 13.89

-65.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$11.56 BAM 20.11

-19.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.61 BAM 2.80

49.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.84 BAM 3.21

-45.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.77 BAM 3.07

-9.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.70 BAM 4.69

-43.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.53 BAM 2.66

-16.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.41 BAM 2.45

-21.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.14 BAM 1.98

-36.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.61 BAM 1.07

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.85 BAM 6.69

12.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$8.45 BAM 14.70

109.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.82 BAM 1.43

98.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.46 BAM 2.54

95.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$2.26 BAM 3.93

-62.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$17.43 BAM 30.31

209.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.45 BAM 2.53

-19.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.54 BAM 0.95

5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$10.45 BAM 18.17

-77.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.48 BAM 2.58

-2.03%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$27.1K BAM 47.2K

-24.53%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$20.5K BAM 35.6K

29.58%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$139 BAM 242

-55.21%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$18.30 BAM 31.82

-32.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$23.35 BAM 40.60

-14.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$29.77 BAM 51.8

27.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$8.45 BAM 14.70

-55.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$4.80 BAM 8.35

39.79%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$201 BAM 349

296.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$4,009 BAM 6,972

269.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$57.0 BAM 99.1

-6.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$26.07 BAM 45.33

-3.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$127 BAM 221

-27.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$118 BAM 206

-37.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$250 BAM 435

85.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$163 BAM 283

87.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$349 BAM 607

162.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$281 BAM 488

96.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$1,803 BAM 3,135

6.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,339 BAM 2,329

7.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$750 BAM 1,304

-20.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bijeljina: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Bijeljina

$163 17.9% 46.6% $142

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Bijeljina

$226 24.9% 4.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Bijeljina

$148 16.2% 34.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Bijeljina

$181 19.9% 91.2% $86

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Bijeljina

$123 13.5% 55.5% $44

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Bijeljina

$31 3.4% 50% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Bijeljina

$39 4.3% 23.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $250 in Bijeljina. 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 26% higher in Bijeljina, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $34.00 in Bijeljina. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $226 in Bijeljina – so Bijeljina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇦 Bijeljina

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

03:45 3:45 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

42,278

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BAM = 0.575 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bijeljina 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bijeljina

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 Bijeljina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai, $910 in Bijeljina – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,366 in Bijeljina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bijeljina, 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 $938 in Chiang Mai and $910 in Bijeljina. That's a gap of about 3%.

Public transport costs about 209% less in Bijeljina. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bijeljina, where all-in costs run around $910, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Bijeljina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai 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 $910 in Bijeljina to $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Bijeljina. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.