Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Leskovac

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,231 in Leskovac, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Leskovac, Serbia
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Leskovac
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,231
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,231 in Leskovac, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Leskovac $1,231

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,851 in Leskovac, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Leskovac $1,851

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,471 in Leskovac, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Leskovac $2,471

Chiang Mai is about 24% cheaper than Leskovac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Leskovac are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Leskovac 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Leskovac
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.6
$9.70 RSD 1,016
-76.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿641
$56.2 RSD 5,888
-66.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$13.46 RSD 1,409
-58.77%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.5
$2.03 RSD 213
-17.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.54
$2.01 RSD 211
-68.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.31
$1.45 RSD 152
-78.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.5
$2.39 RSD 251
-1.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$2.89 RSD 303
26.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Leskovac
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.7
$1.43 RSD 150
36.36%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.46
$1.18 RSD 123
22.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.03
$2.61 RSD 274
-49.04%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$2.67 RSD 280
-14.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿555
$10.85 RSD 1,136
51.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$6.62 RSD 694
-58.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$15.32 RSD 1,605
-39.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$1.65 RSD 173
42.42%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.79
$1.80 RSD 188
-46.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$1.83 RSD 191
-12.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$3.04 RSD 319
-50.66%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.11
$0.86 RSD 90.6
48.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.18
$0.70 RSD 72.9
57.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.82
$0.74 RSD 77.8
-4.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.36
$0.68 RSD 70.8
-27.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$3.91 RSD 409
5.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿591
$4.76 RSD 499
268.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$0.86 RSD 89.6
87.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$1.47 RSD 154
89.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Leskovac
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.30
$1.41 RSD 148
-38.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,825
$33.87 RSD 3,547
59.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.04
$2.99 RSD 314
-61.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.80
$1.02 RSD 107
-48.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.7
$17.38 RSD 1,820
-86.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.88
$1.92 RSD 202
-24.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿710.5K
$30.9K RSD 3.2M
-31.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.0K
$23.3K RSD 2.4M
15.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Leskovac
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,098
$216 RSD 22.6K
-71.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$18.68 RSD 1,957
-34.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿679
$35.22 RSD 3,689
-42.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Leskovac
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,259
$22.99 RSD 2,408
62.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$18.78 RSD 1,967
-79.93%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$4.67 RSD 489
38.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Leskovac
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$441 RSD 46.1K
67.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.2K
$11.3K RSD 1.2M
30.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Leskovac
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,801
$113 RSD 11.8K
-52.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿831
$47.63 RSD 4,989
-48.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,087
$115 RSD 12.0K
-20.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,427
$156 RSD 16.3K
-53.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Leskovac
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$327 RSD 34.2K
47.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$282 RSD 29.5K
9.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
$449 RSD 47.0K
124.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$396 RSD 41.4K
60.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.7K
$1,336 RSD 140.0K
76.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
$1,098 RSD 115.0K
44.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Leskovac
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$628 RSD 65.7K
-6.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.61
20.82%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Leskovac: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Leskovac
$282 8.9% $27
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Leskovac
$232 0.9% $2.1
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Leskovac
$194 78.4% $85
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Leskovac
$270 186% $175
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Leskovac
$174 124% $96
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Leskovac
$48 22.4% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Leskovac
$32 35.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $327 in Leskovac. 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 6% higher in Leskovac, 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 $56 in Leskovac. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $232 in Leskovac – so Leskovac wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇷🇸 Leskovac
🕒 Local time
05:15 5:15 AM
23:15 11:15 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
54,091
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.55 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Leskovac 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Leskovac

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 Leskovac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Leskovac?
Leskovac costs about 32% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Leskovac?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,847 in Leskovac. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Leskovac?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Leskovac, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $327 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do dining costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Leskovac?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $56 in Leskovac. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How expensive is transport in Chiang Mai compared to Leskovac?
Public transport costs about 37% less in Leskovac. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Leskovac?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,231 in Leskovac. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Chiang Mai or Leskovac?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,231 in Leskovac. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Leskovac?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Leskovac?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Leskovac makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Chiang Mai vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?