Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zajecar

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,221 in Zajecar, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Zajecar
Learn more

Zajecar Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Zajecar

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,221

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,221 in Zajecar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Zajecar $1,221

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,807 in Zajecar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Zajecar $1,807

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,392 in Zajecar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Zajecar $2,392

Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper than Zajecar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Zajecar are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Zajecar 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$10.05 RSD 1,050

-78.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$49.59 RSD 5,176

-62.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$12.21 RSD 1,274

-54.14%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.63 RSD 275

-36.88%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$2.49 RSD 260

-73.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$1.89 RSD 198

-84.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$3.06 RSD 319

-24.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.71 RSD 387

-1.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.38 RSD 144

46.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.01 RSD 105

39.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$2.55 RSD 266

-45.49%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.53 RSD 264

-6.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$13.19 RSD 1,377

25.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$7.37 RSD 769

-63.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$13.90 RSD 1,451

-35.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.75 RSD 182

37.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.97 RSD 206

-47.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.67 RSD 175

-0.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$2.43 RSD 254

-35.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.05 RSD 109

18.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.68 RSD 70.9

60.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.93 RSD 97.4

-18.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.65 RSD 67.9

-21.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$4.66 RSD 487

-11.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$7.44 RSD 776

140.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$0.88 RSD 92.0

84.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.30 RSD 241

22.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.95 RSD 99.5

-2.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$2.73 RSD 285

-56.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.79 RSD 82.8

-78.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$11.39 RSD 1,189

-84.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.64 RSD 171

-10.37%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$30.6K RSD 3.2M

-31.26%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$24.4K RSD 2.5M

8.73%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$223 RSD 23.3K

-71.93%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$21.26 RSD 2,220

-45.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$33.07 RSD 3,452

-38.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$30.48 RSD 3,182

24.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$7.29 RSD 761

-10.70%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$374 RSD 39.1K

94.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$8,226 RSD 858.7K

101.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$116 RSD 12.1K

-53.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$43.28 RSD 4,518

-42.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$136 RSD 14.2K

-33.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$127 RSD 13.3K

-43.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$346 RSD 36.1K

39.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$268 RSD 28.0K

15.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$407 RSD 42.5K

160.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$373 RSD 38.9K

76.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$2,211 RSD 230.8K

9.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$1,405 RSD 146.7K

14.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$881 RSD 91.9K

-32.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.02

10.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Zajecar: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Zajecar

$268 22% 13.5% $42

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Zajecar

$242 19.8% 2.1% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Zajecar

$190 15.6% 75.4% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zajecar

$277 22.7% 193% $183

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Zajecar

$189 15.5% 147% $112

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Zajecar

$11 * 0.9% 82.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Zajecar

$45 3.7% 11.5% $5.8

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 $346 in Zajecar. 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 48% higher in Zajecar. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $50 in Zajecar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $242 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇸 Zajecar

🕒 Local time

10:43 10:43 AM

04:43 4:43 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

32,448

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 118 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.51 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Zajecar

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 Zajecar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zajecar costs about 31% 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 $1,832 in Zajecar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zajecar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $346 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,221 in Zajecar. That makes Chiang Mai about 23% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $50 in Zajecar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,221 in Zajecar. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,221 in Zajecar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zajecar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.