Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zupanja

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,613 in Zupanja, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Zupanja
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Zupanja Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Zupanja

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,613 in Zupanja, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Zupanja $1,613

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,445 in Zupanja, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Zupanja $2,445

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,277 in Zupanja, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Zupanja $3,277

Chiang Mai is about 42% cheaper than Zupanja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Zupanja is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$12.39 €11.01

-82.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$64.2 €57.0

-71.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.95 €7.06

-29.56%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.59 €2.30

-35.91%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$3.07 €2.72

-78.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$2.59 €2.30

-88.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$3.37 €3.00

-31.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$4.46 €3.96

-17.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.24 €1.10

62.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$1.54 €1.37

-8.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$2.68 €2.38

-48.13%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$3.86 €3.43

-38.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$14.66 €13.02

12.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$11.59 €10.30

-76.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$17.18 €15.26

-47.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.32 €2.06

3.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.72 €1.52

-39.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.12 €1.88

-21.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$2.47 €2.19

-36.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$1.36 €1.21

-8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$1.22 €1.08

-10.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$1.22 €1.09

-37.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$1.33 €1.18

-61.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.86 €5.21

-29.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$11.15 €9.91

60.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.69 €1.50

-4.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.40 €2.13

17.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$1.74 €1.54

-46.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$44.16 €39.23

19.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$2.20 €1.96

-46.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$1.37 €1.22

-87.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$12.18 €10.82

-85.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.85 €1.64

-20.54%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$27.6K €24.5K

-23.92%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$25.4K €22.6K

4.25%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$212 €188

-70.44%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$22.26 €19.78

-47.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$37.94 €33.70

-46.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$52.2 €46.37

-27.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$15.13 €13.44

-75.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$10.43 €9.27

-37.58%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$494 €439

47.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$10.0K €8,897

65.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$110 €97.9

-51.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$41.47 €36.84

-40.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$103 €91.4

-12.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$112 €99.8

-35.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$674 €599

-28.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$527 €468

-41.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$1,200 €1,066

-11.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$879 €781

-25.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$3,968 €3,525

-39.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$2,882 €2,560

-44.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Zupanja: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Zupanja

$527 32.7% 70.2% $217

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Zupanja

$313 19.4% 32.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Zupanja

$165 10.2% 52.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zupanja

$272 16.9% 188% $177

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Zupanja

$203 12.6% 165% $126

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Zupanja

$60 3.7% 2.6% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Zupanja

$73 4.5% 43.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $674 in Zupanja. 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 $64 in Zupanja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $313 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇷 Zupanja

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

14:02 2:02 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

12,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Zupanja 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zupanja

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 Zupanja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zupanja costs about 72% 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 $2,420 in Zupanja. 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 $481 there versus $674 in Zupanja.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $494 in Zupanja. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Zupanja, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,613 in Zupanja. 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 $1,613 in Zupanja. 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.