Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gostivar

For one person, living is cheaper in Gostivar: $837 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Gostivar
Learn more

Gostivar Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Gostivar

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $837 in Gostivar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Gostivar $837

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,265 in Gostivar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Gostivar $1,265

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,693 in Gostivar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Gostivar $1,693

Chiang Mai costs about 12% more than Gostivar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Gostivar are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Gostivar 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.56 MKD 361

-65.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$27.78 MKD 1,528

-31.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.85 MKD 322

-5.13%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.38 MKD 76.0

21.01%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.32 MKD 72.7

-51.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.06 MKD 58.6

-70.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.31 MKD 72.3

80.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.85 MKD 102

97.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.24 MKD 68.1

57.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.71 MKD 38.81

102.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.43 MKD 78.4

-6.99%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.37 MKD 130

-3.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.29 MKD 346

161.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.55 MKD 305

-49.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.30 MKD 786

-34.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.41 MKD 77.5

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.41 MKD 77.4

-31.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.32 MKD 72.8

21.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.86 MKD 102

-19.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.83 MKD 45.51

54.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.75 MKD 41.35

46.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.63 MKD 34.49

12.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.54 MKD 29.49

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.79 MKD 154

48.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.44 MKD 244

294.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.94 MKD 51.7

71.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.44 MKD 79.0

93.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.71 MKD 39.02

22.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$25.74 MKD 1,416

110.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.75 MKD 41.47

54.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.31 MKD 17.00

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.77 MKD 427

-68.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.42 MKD 78.2

2.11%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

-35.08%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$26.6K MKD 1.5M

1.31%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$129 MKD 7,092

-51.79%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.81 MKD 595

12.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$18.72 MKD 1,029

7.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$21.69 MKD 1,193

72.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.18 MKD 890

-76.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.09 MKD 390

-8.46%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$368 MKD 20.2K

100.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$5,800 MKD 319.0K

154.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$36.82 MKD 2,025

44.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$37.07 MKD 2,039

-33.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$101 MKD 5,550

-9.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$112 MKD 6,181

-35.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$271 MKD 14.9K

78.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$193 MKD 10.6K

60.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$497 MKD 27.3K

102.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$296 MKD 16.3K

114.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,515 MKD 83.3K

56.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,165 MKD 64.1K

36.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$880 MKD 48.4K

-32.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.23

31.68%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gostivar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Gostivar

$193 23% 37.7% $116

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Gostivar

$184 21.9% 21.7% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Gostivar

$129 15.4% 19% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Gostivar

$158 18.9% 67.8% $64

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Gostivar

$106 12.7% 37.2% $29

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Gostivar

$31 3.7% 49.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Gostivar

$36 4.3% 28.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $271 in Gostivar. 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 49% higher in Gostivar, 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 in Chiang Mai versus $28 in Gostivar. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $184 in Gostivar – so Gostivar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇰 Gostivar

🕒 Local time

14:08 2:08 PM

08:08 8:08 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

36,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Gostivar 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gostivar

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 Gostivar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 12% more than Gostivar, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,256 in Gostivar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gostivar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $271 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $368 in Gostivar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $837 in Gostivar. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Gostivar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.