Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Niksic

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $968 in Niksic, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Niksic
Learn more

Niksic Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Niksic

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $968 in Niksic, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Niksic $968

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,458 in Niksic, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Niksic $1,458

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,947 in Niksic, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Niksic $1,947

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

Both Chiang Mai and Niksic are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Niksic 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$8.03 €7.17

-73.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$30.25 €27.00

-35.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$5.62 €5.02

-2.67%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$1.71 €1.53

-1.75%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$1.94 €1.73

-65.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$1.11 €0.99

-69.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$1.93 €1.72

25.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$2.28 €2.04

63.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$1.10 €0.98

87.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$0.88 €0.78

65.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$1.97 €1.76

-31.47%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$3.04 €2.71

-25.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$7.64 €6.81

113.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$6.12 €5.47

-55.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$10.76 €9.60

-14.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$1.09 €0.98

119.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$1.24 €1.10

-16.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$1.33 €1.19

20.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$2.08 €1.86

-30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$0.94 €0.84

38.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$1.02 €0.91

8.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$1.05 €0.93

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$0.86 €0.76

-40.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$4.17 €3.73

-0.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$4.99 €4.45

256.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$0.98 €0.88

66.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$1.12 €1.00

156.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$1.09 €0.98

-21.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$33.16 €29.60

60.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$0.58 €0.52

110.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$0.58 €0.52

-3.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

$7.21 €6.44

-67.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.72 €1.53

-12.79%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$21.4K €19.1K

-2.44%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$26.1K €23.3K

2.42%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$120 €107

-49.03%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$22.98 €20.50

-45.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$24.09 €21.49

-15.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$34.15 €30.48

11.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$10.40 €9.28

-63.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$5.54 €4.94

19.13%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$82.1 €73.2

843.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$4,484 €4,002

221.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$83.9 €74.9

-34.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$31.47 €28.09

-19.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$89.1 €79.5

1.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$110 €98.6

-33.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$425 €379

8.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$268 €239

9.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$602 €537

52.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$416 €371

32.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$1,635 €1,459

17.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$1,210 €1,080

19.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$808 €721

-26.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.5

1.27%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Niksic: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Niksic

$268 27.3% 8.7% $26

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Niksic

$191 19.4% 19.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Niksic

$142 14.4% 29.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Niksic

$167 17% 77.7% $73

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Niksic

$128 13% 65.7% $51

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Niksic

$41 4.2% 32.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Niksic

$45 4.6% 11.6% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $425 in Niksic. 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 36% higher in Niksic, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $30.00 in Niksic. Groceries tell a different story – $236 in Chiang Mai vs $191 in Niksic – so Niksic wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇪 Niksic

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

15:56 3:56 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

56,970

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Niksic 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Niksic

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 Niksic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Niksic 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 $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,452 in Niksic. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Chiang Mai and $82.1 in Niksic. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Niksic – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $906, than in Niksic at $968. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Niksic it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $968 in Niksic. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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