Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Perast

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,258 in Perast, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Perast
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Perast Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Perast

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,258

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,258 in Perast, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Perast $1,258

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,957 in Perast, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Perast $1,957

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,655 in Perast, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Perast $2,655

Chiang Mai is about 26% cheaper than Perast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Perast are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Perast 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$11.01 €9.79

-79.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$35.56 €31.63

-44.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$8.91 €7.92

-37.04%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.20 €1.96

-24.55%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$2.46 €2.19

-71.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.46 €1.30

-78.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.87 €2.55

-16.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.38 €3.00

9.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.20 €1.07

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.01 €0.90

39.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.98 €1.76

-33.84%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.10 €2.76

-29.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$8.73 €7.77

90.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$7.26 €6.46

-61.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$12.17 €10.83

-25.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.34 €1.19

78.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.50 €1.34

-31.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.62 €1.44

0.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.29 €2.04

-34.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.92 €0.82

40.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.02 €0.91

8.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.51 €1.34

-52.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.78 €0.69

-32.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.96 €3.53

8.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$4.38 €3.89

309.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.07 €0.96

47.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.71 €1.52

66.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$1.65 €1.47

-47.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$38.32 €34.09

39.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.76 €0.68

59.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.75 €0.66

-24.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$11.25 €10.00

-79.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.75 €1.56

-17.71%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$31.0K €27.5K

-33.06%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$21.1K €18.8K

27.09%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$128 €114

-51.42%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$13.17 €11.72

-8.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$31.32 €27.86

-36.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$45.90 €40.82

-19.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$14.74 €13.11

-74.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.46 €5.75

0.62%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$345 €306

130.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$7,066 €6,285

109.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$85.1 €75.7

-36.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$34.04 €30.28

-27.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$72.7 €64.6

25.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$95.0 €84.5

-25.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$651 €579

-30.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$457 €407

-34.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,277 €1,136

-28.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$913 €812

-39.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$3,319 €2,953

-41.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$2,347 €2,088

-38.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.40%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Perast: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Perast

$457 36.3% 53.5% $159

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Perast

$213 16.9% 9.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Perast

$129 10.3% 19.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Perast

$173 13.7% 83.1% $78

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Perast

$178 14.2% 127% $99

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Perast

$49 3.9% 18.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Perast

$59 4.7% 17.5% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $651 in Perast. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $36.00 in Perast. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $213 in Perast – so Perast wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇪 Perast

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

05:31 5:31 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

350

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Perast 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Perast

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 Perast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Perast costs about 36% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,887 in Perast. 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 $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $345 in Perast. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Perast – 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 $925, than in Perast at $1,258. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Perast it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,258 in Perast. 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, Perast makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.