Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zagreb

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,772 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,772 in Zagreb, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Zagreb $1,772

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,619 in Zagreb, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Zagreb $2,619

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,467 in Zagreb, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Zagreb $3,467

Chiang Mai is about 47% cheaper than Zagreb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Zagreb is 30% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$12.33 €11.08

-81.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$63.9 €57.4

-70.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$8.01 €7.20

-30.71%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.50 €2.25

-33.20%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$3.09 €2.77

-79.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.62 €2.35

-88.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.42 €3.07

-30.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.51 €4.05

-18.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.27 €1.14

53.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.60 €1.43

-10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.68 €2.41

-50.37%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.95 €3.54

-42.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$14.58 €13.10

12.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$11.47 €10.30

-75.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.35 €15.58

-46.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.31 €2.07

1.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.65 €1.48

-41.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.19 €1.96

-26.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.56 €2.30

-41.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.36 €1.22

-5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.20 €1.08

-8.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.19 €1.07

-40.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.29 €1.16

-62.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.08 €5.46

-31.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.07 €9.94

58.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.69 €1.51

-4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.46 €2.21

13.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.57 €0.51

52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$53.2 €47.82

1.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.18 €1.96

-46.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.44 €1.29

-63.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$12.39 €11.13

-80.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.90 €1.70

-23.68%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$27.9K €25.1K

-24.59%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$26.0K €23.4K

3.56%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$215 €193

-71.08%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$22.34 €20.07

-45.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$38.73 €34.79

-48.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$48.65 €43.70

-23.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$18.95 €17.02

-80.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.41 €9.35

-37.66%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$499 €448

47.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$9,720 €8,731

51.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$109 €97.6

-50.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$42.23 €37.93

-41.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$102 €91.9

-10.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$111 €99.3

-34.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$888 €798

-45.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$683 €614

-54.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,468 €1,319

-31.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,066 €958

-40.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$5,275 €4,739

-55.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$3,670 €3,297

-56.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,975 €1,774

-70.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.3

68.79%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zagreb: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Zagreb

$683 38.5% 121% $374

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Zagreb

$314 17.7% 33.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Zagreb

$164 9.2% 50.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zagreb

$276 15.6% 192% $182

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Zagreb

$202 11.4% 160% $124

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Zagreb

$65 3.7% 5.7% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Zagreb

$69 3.9% 38.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $888 in Zagreb. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Zagreb are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $64 in Zagreb. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $314 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

19:00 7:00 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

767,131 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Zagreb 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zagreb

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 Zagreb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zagreb costs about 89% 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 $2,658 in Zagreb. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $888 in Zagreb.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $64 in Zagreb. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Zagreb, 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 $1,772 in Zagreb. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,772 in Zagreb. 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, Zagreb makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.