Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cacak

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,054 in Cacak, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Cacak
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Cacak Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cacak

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,054 in Cacak.

Chiang Mai $936
Cacak $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,571 in Cacak.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cacak $1,571

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $2,088 in Cacak.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cacak $2,088

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 11% less than in Cacak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Cacak 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$7.21 RSD 756

-68.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$38.39 RSD 4,026

-50.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$11.54 RSD 1,210

-51.91%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.49 RSD 157

12.08%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.45 RSD 257

-73.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.46 RSD 154

-78.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.42 RSD 254

-2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.42 RSD 254

51.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.25 RSD 131

56.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.77 RSD 81.3

87.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.69 RSD 282

-50.56%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.54 RSD 266

-10.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$3.86 RSD 405

326.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.07 RSD 742

-60.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.33 RSD 1,503

-35.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.23 RSD 129

91.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.94 RSD 203

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.67 RSD 175

-4.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.47 RSD 259

-39.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.03 RSD 108

24.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.65 RSD 67.8

69.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.94 RSD 98.9

-24.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.55 RSD 57.5

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.70 RSD 493

-11.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.03 RSD 737

149.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.94 RSD 98.4

71.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.25 RSD 236

23.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.98 RSD 103

-11.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$16.56 RSD 1,737

226.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.95 RSD 204

-40.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.96 RSD 100

-44.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$10.62 RSD 1,114

-77.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.73 RSD 181

-16.18%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$26.5K RSD 2.8M

-20.63%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

13.54%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$141 RSD 14.8K

-56.03%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$19.02 RSD 1,994

-36.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$19.27 RSD 2,021

4.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$29.04 RSD 3,046

28.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.04 RSD 738

-7.81%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$367 RSD 38.5K

100.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,491 RSD 785.7K

97.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$117 RSD 12.3K

-54.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$44.75 RSD 4,693

-44.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$138 RSD 14.4K

-33.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$127 RSD 13.3K

-43.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$307 RSD 32.2K

56.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$264 RSD 27.7K

17.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$427 RSD 44.8K

135.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$369 RSD 38.7K

71.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,071 RSD 217.3K

14.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,563 RSD 164.0K

1.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$726 RSD 76.2K

-18.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.17

7.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cacak: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cacak

$264 25% 14.6% $45

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cacak

$206 19.5% 12.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cacak

$192 18.2% 76.6% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cacak

$180 17% 90.2% $85

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cacak

$143 13.6% 84.1% $65

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cacak

$27 2.6% 55.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cacak

$43 4.1% 14.2% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $307 in Cacak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cacak pays 23% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $38 in Cacak. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $206, with Cacak cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇸 Cacak

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

18:49 6:49 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

69,598

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.53 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.53 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Cacak

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 Cacak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and utilities. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 19% 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 $307 in Cacak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $367 in Cacak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Cacak pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.

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

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