Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tesanj

For one person, living is cheaper in Tesanj: $869 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Tesanj
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Tesanj Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Tesanj

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $869 in Tesanj, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Tesanj $869

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,284 in Tesanj, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Tesanj $1,284

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,699 in Tesanj, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Tesanj $1,699

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Tesanj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Tesanj are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Tesanj 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.2

$3.49 BAM 6.09

-34.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿663

$16.11 BAM 28.10

21.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿189

$2.94 BAM 5.13

90.82%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$0.89 BAM 1.55

86.52%

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

$0.70 ฿23.62

$1.40 BAM 2.45

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.33

$0.90 BAM 1.57

-65.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.2

$1.96 BAM 3.41

22.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿125

$1.70 BAM 2.96

118.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$0.82 BAM 1.43

137.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.48

$0.88 BAM 1.53

60.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.04

$2.44 BAM 4.26

-46.31%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.6

$3.03 BAM 5.29

-28.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿562

$9.94 BAM 17.34

67.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.1

$7.41 BAM 12.93

-62.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿307

$14.14 BAM 24.67

-35.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.7

$1.13 BAM 1.97

111.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.59

$1.61 BAM 2.81

-36.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$1.42 BAM 2.47

14.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.60 BAM 2.79

-6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.54

$0.99 BAM 1.73

30.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.38

$1.06 BAM 1.85

4.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.31

$1.13 BAM 1.97

-36.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.93 BAM 1.63

-43.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿145

$3.93 BAM 6.86

9.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$8.60 BAM 15.00

108.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$1.11 BAM 1.94

42.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.32 BAM 2.30

115.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.14

$1.30 BAM 2.27

-33.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,798

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.67

$1.11 BAM 1.93

9.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.17

$0.56 BAM 0.97

1.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$10.24 BAM 17.87

-77.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.42

$1.52 BAM 2.66

-5.26%

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

$20.7K ฿699.4K

$31.0K BAM 54.0K

-33.02%

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

$26.8K ฿904.2K

$21.8K BAM 38.0K

23.16%

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

$62.3 ฿2,103

$91.4 BAM 159

-31.82%

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

$12.11 ฿409

$18.51 BAM 32.29

-34.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿673

$28.34 BAM 49.44

-29.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,251

$32.73 BAM 57.1

13.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

$28.51 BAM 49.73

-86.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿219

$2.88 BAM 5.02

125.69%

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

$793 ฿26.7K

$135 BAM 235

487.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿499.6K

$3,917 BAM 6,833

278.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,813

$57.7 BAM 101

-6.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿831

$32.02 BAM 55.9

-23.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,065

$94.0 BAM 164

-3.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,400

$131 BAM 229

-45.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$345 BAM 602

32.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$248 BAM 433

20.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$519 BAM 906

74.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$366 BAM 639

51.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

$2,462 BAM 4,296

-21.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.7K

$1,757 BAM 3,065

-17.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

$686 BAM 1,197

-13.91%

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: October 17, 2026

Last update for Tesanj: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Tesanj

$248 28.6% 16.7% $50

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Tesanj

$223 25.7% 5.2% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Tesanj

$142 16.3% 30.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Tesanj

$138 15.9% 46.5% $44

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Tesanj

$70 8% 11.2% $8.8

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tesanj

$9.1 * 1.1% 85% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Tesanj

$38 4.4% 23.1% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $345 in Tesanj. 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 16% higher in Tesanj, 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 $20 in Chiang Mai versus $16 in Tesanj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $223 – making Tesanj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇦 Tesanj

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

03:40 3:40 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

5,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 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 October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.8 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 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 Tesanj 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tesanj

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 Tesanj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Tesanj, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,303 in Tesanj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tesanj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $345 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai and $16 in Tesanj. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Families tend to lean toward Tesanj – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.