Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kriva Palanka

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $993 in Kriva Palanka, rent and utilities included – about $680 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Kriva Palanka
Learn more

Kriva Palanka Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kriva Palanka

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$993

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Kriva Palanka

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $993 in Kriva Palanka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kriva Palanka $993

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,483 in Kriva Palanka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kriva Palanka $1,483

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,973 in Kriva Palanka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kriva Palanka $1,973

Chiang Mai is about 6% cheaper than Kriva Palanka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Kriva Palanka are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kriva Palanka 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$9.71 MKD 534

-76.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$34.32 MKD 1,889

-44.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.40 MKD 353

-13.28%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.05 MKD 113

-18.54%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.80 MKD 99.0

-64.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.32 MKD 72.5

-76.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.76 MKD 152

-14.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.06 MKD 169

19.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.28 MKD 70.2

52.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.76 MKD 41.67

89.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.76 MKD 97.1

-24.43%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.50 MKD 137

-8.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$8.03 MKD 442

104.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.28 MKD 401

-61.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.77 MKD 813

-36.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.43 MKD 78.8

64.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.38 MKD 76.0

-29.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.37 MKD 75.1

16.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.87 MKD 103

-19.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.89 MKD 48.97

43.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.83 MKD 45.45

32.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.63 MKD 34.87

12.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.59 MKD 32.68

-16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.45 MKD 190

20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.07 MKD 389

147.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.05 MKD 57.9

53.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.42 MKD 78.2

95.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.76 MKD 41.91

14.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$22.16 MKD 1,220

144.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.11 MKD 60.9

4.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.61 MKD 33.62

-13.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.62 MKD 419

-68.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.65 MKD 91.1

-12.12%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$33.9K MKD 1.9M

-37.86%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

1.53%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$157 MKD 8,637

-60.38%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$18.33 MKD 1,009

-33.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$18.80 MKD 1,035

7.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$21.80 MKD 1,200

71.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$15.04 MKD 828

-74.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.45 MKD 410

-12.89%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$371 MKD 20.4K

98.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$5,785 MKD 318.5K

155.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$84.6 MKD 4,655

-36.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$37.29 MKD 2,053

-33.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$103 MKD 5,653

-10.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$113 MKD 6,247

-36.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$298 MKD 16.4K

61.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$219 MKD 12.0K

41.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$542 MKD 29.8K

85.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$301 MKD 16.6K

110.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,329 MKD 73.2K

77.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$981 MKD 54.0K

61.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Kriva Palanka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kriva Palanka

$219 22% 29.2% $90

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kriva Palanka

$209 21% 11% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kriva Palanka

$152 15.3% 40% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kriva Palanka

$194 19.5% 105% $100

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kriva Palanka

$154 15.5% 98.3% $76

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kriva Palanka

$29 3% 52.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kriva Palanka

$37 3.7% 27% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $298 in Kriva Palanka. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $34 in Kriva Palanka. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $209 in Kriva Palanka – so Kriva Palanka wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇰 Kriva Palanka

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

20:05 8:05 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

14,010

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

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

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.05 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.28 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kriva Palanka 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kriva Palanka

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 Kriva Palanka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kriva Palanka costs about 6% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,490 in Kriva Palanka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kriva Palanka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $298 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $371 in Kriva Palanka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Kriva Palanka – 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 $936 in Chiang Mai and $993 in Kriva Palanka. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $993 in Kriva Palanka. 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.