Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Novi Sad

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,393 in Novi Sad, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
Learn more

Novi Sad Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,393

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Novi Sad

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,393 in Novi Sad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Novi Sad $1,393

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,154 in Novi Sad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Novi Sad $2,154

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,915 in Novi Sad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Novi Sad $2,915

Chiang Mai is about 33% cheaper than Novi Sad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Novi Sad is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$10.11 RSD 1,060

-77.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$50.2 RSD 5,262

-62.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$12.06 RSD 1,265

-53.98%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.65 RSD 278

-36.98%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.37 RSD 248

-73.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.82 RSD 191

-82.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.93 RSD 307

-19.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.72 RSD 390

-1.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.39 RSD 146

40.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.93 RSD 97.7

54.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.65 RSD 278

-49.81%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.67 RSD 281

-14.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$13.46 RSD 1,412

22.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.21 RSD 757

-61.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.06 RSD 1,475

-33.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.76 RSD 184

33.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.90 RSD 199

-48.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.66 RSD 174

-3.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.54 RSD 266

-40.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.00 RSD 104

28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.69 RSD 72.6

59.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.95 RSD 99.7

-25.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.68 RSD 71.6

-27.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.69 RSD 492

-11.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.79 RSD 817

124.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.87 RSD 91.1

85.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.30 RSD 242

20.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.94 RSD 98.5

-7.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$24.22 RSD 2,540

123.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.31 RSD 242

-49.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.92 RSD 96.3

-42.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$10.42 RSD 1,093

-76.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.81 RSD 190

-19.89%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$30.1K RSD 3.2M

-30.08%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$23.8K RSD 2.5M

13.44%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$224 RSD 23.5K

-72.28%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$20.29 RSD 2,128

-40.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$33.84 RSD 3,549

-40.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$34.97 RSD 3,668

6.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$11.12 RSD 1,166

-66.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.88 RSD 722

-5.67%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$364 RSD 38.2K

102.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,540 RSD 790.7K

95.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$117 RSD 12.3K

-54.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$44.36 RSD 4,653

-44.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$135 RSD 14.2K

-32.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$124 RSD 13.0K

-42.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$509 RSD 53.3K

-5.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$411 RSD 43.1K

-24.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,034 RSD 108.4K

-2.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$824 RSD 86.4K

-23.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,595 RSD 377.0K

-34.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,621 RSD 274.9K

-39.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,230 RSD 129.0K

-52.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.17

7.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Novi Sad: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Novi Sad

$411 29.5% 33% $102

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Novi Sad

$244 17.5% 3.9% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Novi Sad

$189 13.6% 74.3% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Novi Sad

$278 20% 195% $184

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Novi Sad

$188 13.5% 142% $110

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Novi Sad

$35 2.5% 43.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Novi Sad

$49 3.5% 3.1% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $509 in Novi Sad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Novi Sad are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $50 in Novi Sad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $244 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

12:07 12:07 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

260,438

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.53 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.53 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Novi Sad 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Novi Sad

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 Novi Sad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novi Sad costs about 49% 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 $2,090 in Novi Sad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $509 in Novi Sad. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $364 in Novi Sad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Novi Sad, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,393 in Novi Sad. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,393 in Novi Sad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Novi Sad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.