Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kumanovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumanovo: $787 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Kumanovo
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Kumanovo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Kumanovo

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $787 in Kumanovo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Kumanovo $787

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,159 in Kumanovo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Kumanovo $1,159

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,532 in Kumanovo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Kumanovo $1,532

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Kumanovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Kumanovo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kumanovo 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$6.27 MKD 343

-66.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$27.74 MKD 1,519

-32.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$6.39 MKD 350

-12.36%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.45 MKD 79.6

14.48%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.40 MKD 76.7

-53.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$1.08 MKD 59.2

-72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.57 MKD 85.9

47.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$1.77 MKD 97.1

107.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.22 MKD 66.9

65.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.68 MKD 37.37

107.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.83 MKD 100

-24.04%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.44 MKD 134

-2.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$7.98 MKD 437

107.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$7.46 MKD 408

-64.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$11.55 MKD 632

-21.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$0.93 MKD 51.2

158.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.34 MKD 73.4

-22.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.33 MKD 72.8

24.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.74 MKD 95.5

-10.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.84 MKD 45.85

47.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.77 MKD 42.18

41.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.57 MKD 31.35

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.54 MKD 29.81

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.13 MKD 171

31.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$7.42 MKD 406

141.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.05 MKD 57.6

54.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.02 MKD 55.7

176.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.12 MKD 61.4

5.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.66 MKD 36.00

-74.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$5.73 MKD 314

-68.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.47 MKD 80.4

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$33.9K MKD 1.9M

-38.04%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$26.4K MKD 1.4M

0.42%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$130 MKD 7,102

-51.77%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$17.18 MKD 941

-32.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$16.76 MKD 918

21.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$28.02 MKD 1,534

35.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$17.92 MKD 982

-79.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$5.52 MKD 303

17.93%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$372 MKD 20.4K

95.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$9,015 MKD 493.7K

83.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$41.69 MKD 2,283

28.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$19.89 MKD 1,089

24.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$80.9 MKD 4,428

11.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$47.89 MKD 2,622

50.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$239 MKD 13.1K

101.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$192 MKD 10.5K

61.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$417 MKD 22.9K

153.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$250 MKD 13.7K

163.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$1,633 MKD 89.4K

48.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,416 MKD 77.5K

13.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$553 MKD 30.3K

7.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kumanovo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Kumanovo

$192 24.4% 38% $118

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Kumanovo

$194 24.6% 18.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Kumanovo

$86 10.9% 20.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kumanovo

$164 20.8% 73.2% $69

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Kumanovo

$108 13.7% 41.2% $32

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Kumanovo

$4.4 * 0.6% 92.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Kumanovo

$39 5% 23.2% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $239 in Kumanovo. 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 8% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $28 in Kumanovo. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $194 in Kumanovo – so Kumanovo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇰 Kumanovo

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

10:18 10:18 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

75,051

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 54.76 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.39 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kumanovo 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kumanovo

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 Kumanovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Kumanovo, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,180 in Kumanovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kumanovo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $239 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $28 in Kumanovo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $787 in Kumanovo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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