Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mostar

For one person, living is cheaper in Mostar: $911 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $290 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Mostar
Learn more

Mostar Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Mostar

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$911

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $911 in Mostar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Mostar $911

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,423 in Mostar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Mostar $1,423

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,935 in Mostar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Mostar $1,935

Chiang Mai costs about 3% more than Mostar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Mostar are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Mostar 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.2

$6.86 BAM 11.94

-68.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿622

$37.32 BAM 65.0

-50.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$5.63 BAM 9.81

-0.53%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.64 BAM 2.85

1.22%

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

$0.65 ฿21.59

$1.82 BAM 3.16

-64.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.18

$1.21 BAM 2.10

-75.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.5

$2.25 BAM 3.92

3.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿122

$2.16 BAM 3.77

69.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.3

$1.15 BAM 2.01

75.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.00

$0.93 BAM 1.63

51.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.46

$2.00 BAM 3.48

-30.50%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.0

$2.53 BAM 4.41

-6.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿551

$7.69 BAM 13.40

114.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.1

$7.19 BAM 12.53

-62.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿301

$10.50 BAM 18.29

-14.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.1

$1.10 BAM 1.91

118.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.76

$1.66 BAM 2.89

-37.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.38 BAM 2.40

20.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.0

$1.17 BAM 2.04

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.31

$0.99 BAM 1.73

25.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.27

$0.97 BAM 1.69

12.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.43

$0.72 BAM 1.25

5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.16

$0.72 BAM 1.26

-29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.99 BAM 6.94

3.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿598

$4.11 BAM 7.15

336.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.2

$0.79 BAM 1.37

105.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.2

$0.95 BAM 1.66

196.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.19

$1.17 BAM 2.04

-20.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,766

$34.28 BAM 59.7

54.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.28

$1.69 BAM 2.95

-30.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.72

$0.60 BAM 1.04

-71.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.5

$8.50 BAM 14.79

-78.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.16

$1.59 BAM 2.78

-7.55%

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

$21.0K ฿701.4K

$30.6K BAM 53.3K

-31.30%

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

$26.5K ฿885.1K

$21.0K BAM 36.5K

26.39%

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

$62.6 ฿2,088

$90.3 BAM 157

-30.70%

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

$11.60 ฿387

$17.94 BAM 31.24

-35.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿678

$26.09 BAM 45.44

-22.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,264

$40.85 BAM 71.1

-7.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿123

$9.84 BAM 17.14

-62.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿217

$6.21 BAM 10.82

4.83%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$137 BAM 239

428.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿553.2K

$23.5K BAM 41.0K

-29.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,787

$58.0 BAM 101

-7.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿828

$31.92 BAM 55.6

-22.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,017

$86.7 BAM 151

4.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,402

$83.9 BAM 146

-14.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$422 BAM 735

13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.3K

$256 BAM 446

20.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.3K

$658 BAM 1,146

60.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$452 BAM 787

45.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.7K

$2,225 BAM 3,876

8.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.7K

$1,515 BAM 2,639

6.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$865 BAM 1,506

-31.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.3

29.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mostar: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Mostar

$256 28.1% 17.3% $54

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Mostar

$187 20.5% 21% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Mostar

$117 12.9% 8.2% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Mostar

$134 14.8% 42.2% $40

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Mostar

$119 13.1% 55.5% $43

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Mostar

$44 4.8% 25.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Mostar

$53 5.9% 4.7% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $422 in Mostar. 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 45% higher in Mostar, 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Mostar. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $187 in Mostar – so Mostar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇦 Mostar

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

22:24 10:24 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

60,195

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of November 5, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Mostar 7,890 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mostar

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 Mostar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 3% more than Mostar, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,366 in Mostar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mostar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $422 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $137 in Mostar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% 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 $911 in Mostar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mostar – 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.