Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lugavcina

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,002 in Lugavcina, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Lugavcina
Learn more

Lugavcina Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Lugavcina

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,002 in Lugavcina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Lugavcina $1,002

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,455 in Lugavcina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Lugavcina $1,455

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,907 in Lugavcina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Lugavcina $1,907

Chiang Mai is about 7% cheaper than Lugavcina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Lugavcina are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Lugavcina 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$8.81 RSD 922

-75.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$33.24 RSD 3,480

-43.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$9.25 RSD 968

-39.46%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.97 RSD 206

-15.74%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$2.26 RSD 237

-71.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$1.78 RSD 186

-83.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$3.60 RSD 377

-35.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$4.19 RSD 438

-12.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.15 RSD 121

75.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$0.70 RSD 73.1

101.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$1.71 RSD 179

-18.71%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$2.34 RSD 245

1.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$7.75 RSD 811

113.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$5.90 RSD 618

-54.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$10.77 RSD 1,128

-16.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$1.06 RSD 111

126.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.70 RSD 178

-38.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.43 RSD 150

16.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$2.15 RSD 225

-27.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$0.79 RSD 82.8

56.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$0.72 RSD 75.4

51.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$0.65 RSD 68.3

16.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$0.53 RSD 55.7

-3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$4.31 RSD 451

-4.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$5.64 RSD 591

217.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$0.68 RSD 71.5

138.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$1.30 RSD 136

116.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$0.94 RSD 98.1

-1.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$1.85 RSD 194

-36.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$0.70 RSD 73.2

-75.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$8.81 RSD 923

-79.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$1.86 RSD 195

-20.97%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$30.3K RSD 3.2M

-30.54%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$23.0K RSD 2.4M

15.41%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$160 RSD 16.8K

-60.93%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$19.08 RSD 1,997

-39.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$23.25 RSD 2,434

-12.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$30.43 RSD 3,186

24.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$4.73 RSD 495

37.63%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$252 RSD 26.4K

188.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$4,794 RSD 501.9K

245.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$86.7 RSD 9,074

-38.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$39.42 RSD 4,127

-37.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$98.1 RSD 10.3K

-7.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$112 RSD 11.7K

-35.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$290 RSD 30.4K

65.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$254 RSD 26.5K

22.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$483 RSD 50.6K

119.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$332 RSD 34.7K

98.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$2,215 RSD 231.9K

9.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$1,658 RSD 173.6K

-2.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.08

9.65%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lugavcina: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Lugavcina

$254 25.3% 18.2% $56

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Lugavcina

$182 18.1% 23.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Lugavcina

$151 15.1% 39.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Lugavcina

$202 20.2% 114% $108

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Lugavcina

$164 16.4% 115% $88

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Lugavcina

$9.1 * 0.9% 84.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Lugavcina

$40 4% 21.6% $11

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 $290 in Lugavcina. 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 $33 in Lugavcina. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $182 in Lugavcina – so Lugavcina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇸 Lugavcina

🕒 Local time

23:50 11:50 PM

17:50 5:50 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.55 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.55 USD). 1 EUR = 118 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.5 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Lugavcina 7,610 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Lugavcina

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 Lugavcina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lugavcina costs about 7% 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 $1,504 in Lugavcina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lugavcina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $33 in Lugavcina. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Lugavcina – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,002 in Lugavcina. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,002 in Lugavcina. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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