Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Brcko

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Brcko: $925 and $963 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Brcko
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Brcko Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Brcko

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$963

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $925 in Chiang Mai versus $963 in Brcko.

Chiang Mai $925
Brcko $963

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,414 in Chiang Mai versus $1,389 in Brcko.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Brcko $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,903 in Chiang Mai versus $1,814 in Brcko.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Brcko $1,814

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 4% less than in Brcko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 32% lower, Brcko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.3

$6.94 BAM 12.11

-67.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿664

$37.79 BAM 66.0

-48.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿190

$6.82 BAM 11.91

-17.74%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.2

$1.70 BAM 2.96

-2.35%

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

$0.70 ฿23.65

$1.67 BAM 2.92

-58.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.35

$1.24 BAM 2.17

-75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.3

$0.88 BAM 1.54

173.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿126

$2.32 BAM 4.05

59.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿66.0

$1.45 BAM 2.54

34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.55

$1.18 BAM 2.06

19.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$2.47 BAM 4.31

-46.96%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.7

$3.12 BAM 5.45

-30.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿563

$10.02 BAM 17.50

66.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.2

$7.19 BAM 12.56

-61.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿308

$14.48 BAM 25.27

-37.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.9

$1.18 BAM 2.05

102.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.64

$1.60 BAM 2.80

-35.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿55.0

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.61

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.44

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.35

$1.18 BAM 2.06

-38.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.99 BAM 1.72

-46.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿146

$3.10 BAM 5.42

39.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿606

$8.68 BAM 15.16

106.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.5

$1.12 BAM 1.96

41.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿96.1

$2.31 BAM 4.04

22.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.18

$1.12 BAM 1.95

-23.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,800

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.73

$1.13 BAM 1.98

7.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.20

$0.59 BAM 1.04

-3.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$10.37 BAM 18.11

-77.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.49

$1.43 BAM 2.50

0.70%

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

$20.7K ฿700.5K

$29.6K BAM 51.8K

-30.07%

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

$26.8K ฿905.6K

$21.0K BAM 36.7K

27.54%

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

$62.3 ฿2,106

$181 BAM 315

-65.50%

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

$12.11 ฿409

$11.55 BAM 20.16

4.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿674

$40.62 BAM 70.9

-50.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,252

$25.65 BAM 44.78

44.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿128

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿220

$5.86 BAM 10.24

10.92%

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

$793 ฿26.8K

$135 BAM 235

488.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿500.3K

$18.3K BAM 31.9K

-18.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,816

$22.61 BAM 39.47

137.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿832

$17.24 BAM 30.10

42.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,070

$87.5 BAM 153

3.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,404

$84.8 BAM 148

-16.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$343 BAM 599

32.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.1K

$254 BAM 443

17.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.7K

$522 BAM 912

73.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$339 BAM 592

63.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.2K

$1,491 BAM 2,603

29.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.8K

$1,173 BAM 2,048

23.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿20.0K

$483 BAM 844

22.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.3

29.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Brcko: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Brcko

$254 26.4% 14.7% $44

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Brcko

$218 * 22.6% 7.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Brcko

$95 9.9% 11.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Brcko

$233 24.2% 147% $138

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Brcko

$117 12.2% 48.9% $38

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Brcko

$8.6 * 0.9% 85.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Brcko

$37 3.9% 25.3% $13

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 $455 in Chiang Mai and $343 in Brcko. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20 in Chiang Mai vs $38 in Brcko. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $218, with Brcko cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇦 Brcko

🕒 Local time

22:31 10:31 PM

16:31 4:31 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

39,893

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.79 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.91 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Brcko 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Brcko

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 Brcko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 22% 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 $343 in Brcko. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $793 in Chiang Mai versus $135 in Brcko. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $20 versus $38 in Brcko. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.