Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Veles

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $766 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $766 in Veles, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Veles $766

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,137 in Veles, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Veles $1,137

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,507 in Veles, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Veles $1,507

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Veles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Veles are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Veles 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$8.78 MKD 483

-74.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$18.09 MKD 995

5.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.43 MKD 299

2.21%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.56 MKD 85.7

7.05%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.33 MKD 73.3

-51.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.82 MKD 45.00

-62.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.47 MKD 81.1

60.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.11 MKD 171

17.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.03 MKD 56.6

89.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.53 MKD 29.29

171.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.51 MKD 83.3

-11.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.48 MKD 136

-8.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$2.97 MKD 163

453.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.93 MKD 216

-29.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.02 MKD 826

-38.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.44 MKD 79.1

63.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.46 MKD 80.4

-33.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.34 MKD 73.7

19.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.89 MKD 104

-20.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.90 MKD 49.68

42.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.83 MKD 45.91

32.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.59 MKD 32.73

20.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.60 MKD 32.90

-18.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.23 MKD 178

28.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$6.22 MKD 342

181.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.02 MKD 56.2

57.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.44 MKD 79.3

93.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.80 MKD 43.93

8.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$23.73 MKD 1,306

127.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.10 MKD 60.7

5.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.58 MKD 31.70

-8.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$7.67 MKD 422

-68.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.40 MKD 76.8

3.57%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

-20.54%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$24.8K MKD 1.4M

8.68%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$108 MKD 5,963

-42.64%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$16.80 MKD 924

-27.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$12.21 MKD 672

64.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$25.03 MKD 1,377

49.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$17.81 MKD 980

-78.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.37 MKD 185

92.58%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$214 MKD 11.8K

243.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$5,661 MKD 311.5K

160.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$21.40 MKD 1,177

149.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$18.01 MKD 991

36.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$73.6 MKD 4,047

24.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$109 MKD 5,977

-33.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$223 MKD 12.2K

116.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$169 MKD 9,289

82.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$290 MKD 15.9K

247.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$232 MKD 12.8K

173.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,181 MKD 65.0K

100.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$940 MKD 51.7K

69.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$586 MKD 32.2K

0.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.23

31.68%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Veles: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Veles

$169 22% 45.3% $140

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Veles

$170 22.2% 27.3% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Veles

$100 13% 8.2% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Veles

$137 17.9% 45.4% $43

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Veles

$127 16.6% 64.3% $50

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Veles

$31 4% 49.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Veles

$32 4.1% 36.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $223 in Veles. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $18 in Veles. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $170 – making Veles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇰 Veles

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

43,716

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.25 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Veles 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Veles

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 Veles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Veles, 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 $1,150 in Veles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Veles, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $214 in Veles. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Veles – 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.

For expats, Veles is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 18% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.