Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Istočno Sarajevo

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Istočno Sarajevo: $925 and $891 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Istočno Sarajevo
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Istočno Sarajevo Living Index

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Istočno Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Istočno Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Istočno Sarajevo

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $891 in Istočno Sarajevo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Istočno Sarajevo $891

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,356 in Istočno Sarajevo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Istočno Sarajevo $1,356

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,821 in Istočno Sarajevo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Istočno Sarajevo $1,821

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Istočno Sarajevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Istočno Sarajevo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Istočno Sarajevo 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.2

$8.59 BAM 14.97

-73.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿663

$37.38 BAM 65.1

-47.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿189

$6.83 BAM 11.90

-17.86%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.70 BAM 2.95

-2.35%

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

$0.70 ฿23.61

$1.98 BAM 3.44

-64.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.33

$1.40 BAM 2.44

-77.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.1

$2.33 BAM 4.06

3.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿125

$2.24 BAM 3.90

65.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$1.46 BAM 2.55

33.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.47

$1.32 BAM 2.29

6.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.03

$2.12 BAM 3.69

-38.21%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.6

$3.15 BAM 5.48

-30.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿562

$10.23 BAM 17.83

62.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.0

$7.66 BAM 13.35

-63.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿307

$14.03 BAM 24.45

-35.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.7

$1.41 BAM 2.45

69.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.58

$1.58 BAM 2.75

-34.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$1.51 BAM 2.63

7.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.67 BAM 2.91

-10.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.53

$0.92 BAM 1.60

40.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.37

$1.11 BAM 1.93

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.30

$1.07 BAM 1.87

-32.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.98 BAM 1.71

-45.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿145

$3.91 BAM 6.81

10.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$8.20 BAM 14.29

118.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$0.87 BAM 1.52

81.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.56 BAM 2.71

82.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.13

$1.30 BAM 2.27

-33.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,797

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.66

$1.42 BAM 2.47

-14.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.16

$1.16 BAM 2.02

-50.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$8.80 BAM 15.33

-73.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.40

$1.58 BAM 2.75

-8.86%

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

$20.7K ฿699.2K

$29.8K BAM 51.9K

-30.42%

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

$26.8K ฿904.0K

$21.6K BAM 37.7K

24.00%

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

$62.3 ฿2,102

$90.8 BAM 158

-31.38%

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

$12.11 ฿408

$18.16 BAM 31.64

-33.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿673

$27.46 BAM 47.85

-27.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,250

$33.45 BAM 58.3

10.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

$13.90 BAM 24.22

-72.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿219

$5.64 BAM 9.82

15.25%

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

$793 ฿26.7K

$134 BAM 233

493.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿499.5K

$3,824 BAM 6,663

287.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,813

$87.9 BAM 153

-38.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿831

$31.68 BAM 55.2

-22.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,064

$89.0 BAM 155

2.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,400

$98.1 BAM 171

-27.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$215 BAM 375

111.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$185 BAM 322

61.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$253 BAM 441

258.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$213 BAM 371

159.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

$1,722 BAM 3,000

12.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.7K

$1,356 BAM 2,363

6.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

$712 BAM 1,241

-17.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.08

36.52%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Istočno Sarajevo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Istočno Sarajevo

$185 20.7% 38% $113

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Istočno Sarajevo

$236 26.5% 0.1% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Istočno Sarajevo

$138 15.5% 27.6% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Istočno Sarajevo

$136 15.3% 44.6% $42

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Istočno Sarajevo

$139 15.6% 77.1% $61

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Istočno Sarajevo

$12 * 1.4% 79.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Istočno Sarajevo

$45 5% 10.7% $5.3

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 $215 in Istočno Sarajevo. 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 21% higher in Istočno Sarajevo, 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 $20 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Istočno Sarajevo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇦 Istočno Sarajevo

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

01:46 1:46 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

10,642

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BAM = 0.574 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.79 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.574 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Istočno Sarajevo 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Istočno Sarajevo

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 Istočno Sarajevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Istočno Sarajevo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,337 in Istočno Sarajevo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istočno Sarajevo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $215 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $925 in Chiang Mai and $891 in Istočno Sarajevo. That’s a gap of about 4%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai and $37 in Istočno Sarajevo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $925 in Chiang Mai and $891 in Istočno Sarajevo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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.