Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Herceg Novi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,257 in Herceg Novi, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Herceg Novi
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Herceg Novi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Herceg Novi

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Herceg Novi

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,257 in Herceg Novi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Herceg Novi $1,257

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,997 in Herceg Novi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Herceg Novi $1,997

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,737 in Herceg Novi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Herceg Novi $2,737

Chiang Mai is about 26% cheaper than Herceg Novi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Herceg Novi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Herceg Novi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$11.23 €9.99

-79.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$36.29 €32.28

-45.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$9.16 €8.15

-38.76%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.65 €2.36

-37.36%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$2.50 €2.23

-72.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.63 €1.45

-80.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.84 €2.53

-15.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.34 €2.97

11.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.20 €1.07

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.01 €0.90

39.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.93 €2.61

-55.29%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.98 €2.65

-26.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$9.02 €8.02

84.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$7.43 €6.61

-62.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$12.99 €11.56

-29.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.33 €1.18

79.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.57 €1.39

-34.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.63 €1.45

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.96 €2.63

-49.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.95 €0.85

35.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.29 €1.15

-13.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.54 €1.37

-53.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.95 €0.85

-44.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.00 €3.56

7.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$4.37 €3.89

310.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.28 €1.14

23.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.74 €1.55

63.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$1.64 €1.46

-47.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$44.46 €39.55

19.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$2.84 €2.53

-57.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.10 €0.97

-48.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$17.09 €15.20

-86.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.72 €1.53

-16.28%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$32.3K €28.8K

-35.87%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$21.4K €19.0K

25.32%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$136 €121

-54.24%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$13.14 €11.69

-7.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$33.88 €30.14

-41.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$56.6 €50.3

-34.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$11.39 €10.13

-66.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$7.81 €6.94

-16.77%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$444 €395

78.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$7,024 €6,248

110.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$84.3 €75.0

-36.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$33.74 €30.01

-27.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$72.7 €64.7

25.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$95.8 €85.2

-25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$651 €579

-30.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$399 €355

-25.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,257 €1,118

-27.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$888 €790

-37.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$3,685 €3,278

-47.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$2,421 €2,153

-40.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,031 €917

-42.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.40%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Herceg Novi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Herceg Novi

$399 31.7% 33.9% $101

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Herceg Novi

$228 18.1% 3.2% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Herceg Novi

$129 10.3% 19.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Herceg Novi

$183 14.6% 94.1% $89

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Herceg Novi

$187 14.8% 137% $108

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Herceg Novi

$59 4.7% 2.3% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Herceg Novi

$72 5.7% 44.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $651 in Herceg Novi. 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 75% higher in Herceg Novi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $36.00 in Herceg Novi. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $228 in Herceg Novi – so Herceg Novi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇪 Herceg Novi

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

11,059

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Herceg Novi 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Herceg Novi

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 Herceg Novi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Herceg Novi costs about 36% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,886 in Herceg Novi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $444 in Herceg Novi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Herceg Novi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Herceg Novi at $1,257. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Herceg Novi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,257 in Herceg Novi. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Herceg Novi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.