Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bitola

For one person, living is cheaper in Bitola: $859 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $920 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 Bitola
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Bitola Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $859 in Bitola.

Chiang Mai $936
Bitola $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,289 in Bitola.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bitola $1,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,718 in Bitola.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bitola $1,718

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 9% more expensive than in Bitola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bitola 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$5.23 MKD 288

-57.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$26.77 MKD 1,473

-29.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.04 MKD 278

10.12%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.96 MKD 108

-14.80%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.71 MKD 94.0

-62.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.46 MKD 80.3

-78.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.16 MKD 119

9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.62 MKD 144

39.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.38 MKD 75.8

41.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.66 MKD 36.58

118.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.72 MKD 94.8

-22.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.98 MKD 109

15.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$9.93 MKD 546

65.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.81 MKD 375

-59.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.08 MKD 720

-28.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.01 MKD 55.4

132.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.39 MKD 76.6

-30.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.24 MKD 68.1

29.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.59 MKD 87.4

-5.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.91 MKD 49.84

40.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.34 MKD 73.6

-17.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.53 MKD 28.92

33.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.50 MKD 27.31

-2.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.30 MKD 181

25.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$6.06 MKD 333

189.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.91 MKD 49.93

76.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.83 MKD 101

51.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.54 MKD 29.50

61.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$16.24 MKD 894

233.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.08 MKD 59.3

7.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.57 MKD 31.36

-7.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$6.32 MKD 348

-61.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.50 MKD 82.4

-3.33%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

-31.79%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

-16.75%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$148 MKD 8,116

-57.85%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$14.08 MKD 775

-13.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$12.62 MKD 694

59.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$22.16 MKD 1,219

68.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.43 MKD 354

-41.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.57 MKD 252

42.01%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$211 MKD 11.6K

248.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$1,167 MKD 64.2K

1164.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$76.3 MKD 4,199

-30.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$46.27 MKD 2,546

-46.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$73.3 MKD 4,031

24.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$111 MKD 6,090

-35.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$260 MKD 14.3K

85.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$185 MKD 10.2K

66.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$396 MKD 21.8K

154.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$293 MKD 16.1K

116.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,709 MKD 94.0K

38.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,142 MKD 62.8K

39.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$750 MKD 41.3K

-21.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.45

-13.64%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bitola: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bitola

$185 21.6% 40% $124

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bitola

$198 23.1% 15.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bitola

$138 16.1% 27% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bitola

$174 20.3% 84.4% $80

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bitola

$109 12.7% 40.8% $32

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bitola

$22 2.6% 63.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bitola

$31 3.7% 37.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $260 in Bitola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $27 in Bitola. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $198, with Bitola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇰 Bitola

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

74,550

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.25 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bitola 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bitola

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 Bitola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $859 in Bitola, so Bitola is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $260 in Bitola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $27 in Bitola. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bitola gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Bitola are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.