Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Strumica

For one person, living is cheaper in Strumica: $859 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Strumica
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Strumica Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Strumica

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $859 in Strumica, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Strumica $859

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,216 in Strumica, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Strumica $1,216

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,574 in Strumica, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Strumica $1,574

Chiang Mai costs about 9% more than Strumica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Strumica are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Strumica 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$3.70 MKD 202

-42.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$22.47 MKD 1,224

-17.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$3.65 MKD 199

53.42%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.51 MKD 82.5

9.93%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$1.33 MKD 72.3

-51.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$1.16 MKD 63.2

-74.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$1.87 MKD 102

24.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$1.96 MKD 107

87.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.23 MKD 67.2

64.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.79 MKD 42.93

78.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$1.71 MKD 93.4

-18.71%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$2.22 MKD 121

6.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$8.04 MKD 438

105.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$6.11 MKD 333

-56.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$9.81 MKD 534

-8.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$0.61 MKD 33.21

293.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.41 MKD 76.9

-26.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.20 MKD 65.3

38.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.97 MKD 107

-20.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.84 MKD 46.02

47.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.77 MKD 41.93

41.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.64 MKD 34.80

18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.59 MKD 31.89

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.74 MKD 149

50.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$5.52 MKD 301

224.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$0.87 MKD 47.29

86.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.20 MKD 65.6

135.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.72 MKD 39.10

29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$1.11 MKD 60.4

6.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.62 MKD 33.94

-72.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$7.86 MKD 428

-76.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.64 MKD 89.2

-10.37%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$34.2K MKD 1.9M

-38.57%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$26.6K MKD 1.4M

-0.16%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$148 MKD 8,073

-57.79%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$12.86 MKD 700

-9.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$17.24 MKD 939

17.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$19.86 MKD 1,082

90.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$7.41 MKD 404

-12.15%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$375 MKD 20.4K

94.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$8,846 MKD 481.8K

87.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$83.4 MKD 4,544

-35.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$36.65 MKD 1,996

-32.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$99.9 MKD 5,443

-9.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$90.5 MKD 4,930

-20.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$316 MKD 17.2K

52.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$239 MKD 13.0K

29.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$505 MKD 27.5K

109.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$300 MKD 16.3K

119.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$1,457 MKD 79.3K

65.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$983 MKD 53.6K

63.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$628 MKD 34.2K

-5.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Strumica: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Strumica

$239 27.9% 22.7% $70

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Strumica

$178 20.7% 24.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Strumica

$140 16.3% 29% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Strumica

$178 20.8% 88.7% $84

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Strumica

$82 9.5% 7% $5.4

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Strumica

$7.1 * 0.8% 87.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Strumica

$35 4% 31.9% $16

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 $316 in Strumica. 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 6% higher in Strumica, 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 $22 in Strumica. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $178 in Strumica – so Strumica wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇰 Strumica

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

00:12 12:12 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

36,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 54.47 MKD (100 MKD = 1.84 USD). 1 EUR = 61.32 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Strumica 7,520 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Strumica

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 Strumica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 9% more than Strumica, 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 $1,288 in Strumica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Strumica, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $316 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $22 in Strumica. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $859 in Strumica. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Strumica – 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.