Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Foca

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Foca: $925 and $949 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Foca
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Foca Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Foca

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $949 in Foca, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Foca $949

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,367 in Foca, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Foca $1,367

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,786 in Foca, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Foca $1,786

Chiang Mai is about 3% cheaper than Foca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Foca are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Foca 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.3

$5.31 BAM 9.27

-56.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿664

$22.24 BAM 38.82

-11.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿190

$4.61 BAM 8.05

21.69%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.2

$1.49 BAM 2.60

11.41%

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

$0.70 ฿23.65

$1.35 BAM 2.36

-48.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.35

$0.84 BAM 1.46

-63.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.3

$1.69 BAM 2.95

42.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿126

$2.31 BAM 4.04

60.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿66.0

$1.18 BAM 2.06

65.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.55

$1.12 BAM 1.96

25.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.59 BAM 2.77

-17.61%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.7

$2.01 BAM 3.50

8.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿563

$6.93 BAM 12.11

140.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.2

$6.41 BAM 11.19

-56.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿308

$10.18 BAM 17.77

-10.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.9

$0.83 BAM 1.45

187.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.64

$1.75 BAM 3.06

-41.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿55.0

$2.14 BAM 3.74

-23.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.68 BAM 2.94

-10.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.61

$0.99 BAM 1.72

30.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.44

$1.36 BAM 2.38

-18.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.35

$1.13 BAM 1.98

-36.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.91 BAM 1.59

-41.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿146

$3.39 BAM 5.92

27.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿606

$8.39 BAM 14.65

113.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.5

$0.84 BAM 1.46

88.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿96.1

$1.16 BAM 2.03

144.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.18

$1.27 BAM 2.21

-32.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,800

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.73

$1.75 BAM 3.06

-30.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.20

$0.59 BAM 1.04

-3.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$17.31 BAM 30.22

-86.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.49

$1.52 BAM 2.66

-5.26%

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

$20.7K ฿700.5K

$30.6K BAM 53.5K

-32.30%

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

$26.8K ฿905.6K

$21.8K BAM 38.1K

22.86%

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

$62.3 ฿2,106

$156 BAM 273

-60.17%

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

$12.11 ฿409

$16.28 BAM 28.43

-25.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿674

$33.80 BAM 59.0

-41.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,252

$33.52 BAM 58.5

10.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿128

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿220

$5.83 BAM 10.17

11.49%

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

$793 ฿26.8K

$286 BAM 500

176.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿500.3K

$3,587 BAM 6,262

312.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,816

$83.2 BAM 145

-35.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿832

$35.42 BAM 61.9

-30.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,070

$68.2 BAM 119

33.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,404

$140 BAM 244

-49.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$154 BAM 269

195.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.1K

$248 BAM 433

20.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.7K

$516 BAM 901

76.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$366 BAM 640

51.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.2K

$2,407 BAM 4,202

-19.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.8K

$1,763 BAM 3,078

-18.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.44

25.45%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Foca: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Foca

$248 26.1% 16.8% $50

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Foca

$197 20.7% 16.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Foca

$147 15.5% 35.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Foca

$207 21.8% 119% $112

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Foca

$96 10.1% 22.2% $17

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Foca

$9.8 * 1% 83.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Foca

$45 4.8% 9.8% $4.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $154 in Foca. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai versus $22 in Foca. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $197 in Foca – so Foca wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇦 Foca

🕒 Local time

22:31 10:31 PM

16:31 4:31 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

12,334

💱 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 Foca 7,810 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Foca

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 Foca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Foca costs about 3% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,424 in Foca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Foca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $154 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai and $22 in Foca. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Foca – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $925 in Chiang Mai and $949 in Foca. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $925 in Chiang Mai to $949 in Foca. 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.