Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zenica

For one person, living is cheaper in Zenica: $856 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $960 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Zenica
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Zenica Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Zenica

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$856

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $856 in Zenica, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Zenica $856

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,251 in Zenica, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Zenica $1,251

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,646 in Zenica, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Zenica $1,646

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

Both Chiang Mai and Zenica are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Zenica 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$6.91 BAM 12.14

-67.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$18.19 BAM 31.95

4.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$3.89 BAM 6.84

42.67%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.61 BAM 2.83

3.73%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.76 BAM 3.09

-63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.19 BAM 2.09

-73.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.99 BAM 3.49

18.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.02 BAM 3.55

81.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.31 BAM 2.30

48.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.93 BAM 1.63

54.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.77 BAM 3.11

-24.86%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.73 BAM 4.79

-16.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.80 BAM 13.69

110.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.13 BAM 12.52

-61.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.57 BAM 22.08

-25.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.37 BAM 2.40

71.53%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.66 BAM 2.92

-41.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.50 BAM 2.63

6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.83 BAM 3.21

-18.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.96 BAM 1.69

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.26 BAM 2.20

-12.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.59 BAM 1.03

20.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.74 BAM 1.29

-33.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.33 BAM 5.86

24.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$5.61 BAM 9.86

212.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.88 BAM 1.55

82.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$0.91 BAM 1.60

205.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.89 BAM 1.57

-2.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$31.85 BAM 55.9

69.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.60 BAM 2.80

-27.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.84 BAM 1.47

-36.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$8.65 BAM 15.20

-72.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.53 BAM 2.69

-5.23%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$30.7K BAM 53.9K

-31.45%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$20.8K BAM 36.5K

29.56%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$163 BAM 286

-61.78%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$18.42 BAM 32.34

-33.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$23.62 BAM 41.49

-14.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$23.76 BAM 41.73

57.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.13 BAM 23.06

-71.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.55 BAM 7.99

42.64%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$134 BAM 235

450.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$18.5K BAM 32.4K

-20.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$49.45 BAM 86.8

7.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$30.23 BAM 53.1

-18.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$91.0 BAM 160

0.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$88.7 BAM 156

-18.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$190 BAM 334

153.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$145 BAM 255

113.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$267 BAM 469

276.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$204 BAM 358

211.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,599 BAM 2,808

47.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,264 BAM 2,220

25.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$645 BAM 1,132

-8.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

85.67%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zenica: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Zenica

$145 17% 53.1% $164

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Zenica

$203 23.7% 13.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Zenica

$117 13.6% 7.4% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zenica

$205 23.9% 117% $110

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Zenica

$112 13.1% 44.5% $35

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Zenica

$41 4.8% 32.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Zenica

$33 3.8% 34.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $190 in Zenica. 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 9% higher in Zenica, 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 $18 in Zenica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $203 – making Zenica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇦 Zenica

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

01:15 1:15 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

70,533

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BAM = 0.569 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BAM (1 BAM = 0.569 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Zenica 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zenica

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 Zenica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 9% more than Zenica, 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 $1,284 in Zenica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zenica, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $190 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $134 in Zenica. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $856 in Zenica. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Zenica – 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, Zenica is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 9% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.