Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubrovnik and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,979 in Dubrovnik, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Dubrovnik
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Dubrovnik Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dubrovnik

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,979

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dubrovnik and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,979 per month in Dubrovnik vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dubrovnik $1,979
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,933 per month in Dubrovnik vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dubrovnik $2,933
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,886 per month in Dubrovnik vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dubrovnik $3,886
Chiang Mai $1,914

Dubrovnik costs about 111% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubrovnik sits 47% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.49 €17.34

$2.26 ฿75.4

762.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.3 €68.8

$19.18 ฿641

302.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.71 €11.30

$5.59 ฿187

127.37%

Cappuccino

$4.21 €3.74

$1.72 ฿57.6

144.77%

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

$4.50 €4.01

$0.64 ฿21.54

603.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 €3.99

$0.33 ฿11.18

1260.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.36 ฿78.7

130.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 €7.10

$3.90 ฿130

104.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.05 ฿68.6

-47.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.40 ฿46.70

-13.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.28 ฿42.89

79.69%

Eggs

$4.18 €3.72

$2.25 ฿75.3

85.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 €8.81

$16.94 ฿566

-41.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$2.74 ฿91.6

227.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 €8.54

$9.36 ฿313

2.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.40 ฿80.3

-26.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.01 ฿33.92

34.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.61 ฿53.9

5.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.52 ฿50.7

80.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 €0.77

$1.28 ฿42.90

-32.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.11 ฿37.22

-18.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.72 ฿24.09

52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.52 ฿17.54

140.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 €4.76

$4.33 ฿145

23.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$17.73 ฿593

-75.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.63 ฿54.4

-19.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.56

$2.85 ฿95.3

1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 €2.51

$0.85 ฿28.31

232.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.6 €48.53

$53.9 ฿1,801

1.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 €3.92

$1.17 ฿39.18

276.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.08

$0.57 ฿19.00

114.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 €6.58

$2.37 ฿79.2

212.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.45 ฿48.32

24.14%

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

$25.9K €23.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

26.52%

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

$25.5K €22.7K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-3.85%

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

$178 €158

$62.3 ฿2,083

184.79%

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

$22.58 €20.09

$12.27 ฿410

84.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.34 €37.66

$19.97 ฿668

112.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.1 €62.4

$37.91 ฿1,267

84.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.39 €20.81

$3.76 ฿126

522.07%

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 €7.12

$6.71 ฿224

19.23%

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

$90.6 €80.6

$797 ฿26.6K

-88.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,922 €6,157

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-53.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.3 €65.2

$53.3 ฿1,780

37.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.46 €24.43

$25.05 ฿837

9.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 €58.9

$91.6 ฿3,062

-27.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 €69.7

$73.5 ฿2,455

6.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 €1,283

$464 ฿15.5K

210.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 €806

$305 ฿10.2K

197.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,747

$915 ฿30.6K

114.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 €1,283

$552 ฿18.5K

161.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,912 €7,038

$1,912 ฿63.9K

313.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,158 €3,698

$1,438 ฿48.1K

189.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,437 €1,279

$595 ฿19.9K

141.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.57

-31.96%

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

Last update for Dubrovnik: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubrovnik

$906 45.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 66.4% $601

Eating Out

Dubrovnik

$324 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 75.6% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubrovnik

$242 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 61% $148

Groceries & Markets

Dubrovnik

$235 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 1.4% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Dubrovnik

$110 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 0.8% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Dubrovnik

$86 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 40.4% $35

Getting Around

Dubrovnik

$76 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 19.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,442 in Dubrovnik versus $464 in Chiang Mai. 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 142% higher in Dubrovnik, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Dubrovnik versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Dubrovnik vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Dubrovnik wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Dubrovnik

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

5 h ahead of Dubrovnik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,562

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Dubrovnik Chiang Mai 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubrovnik
Chiang Mai

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

Dubrovnik vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubrovnik costs about 111% 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 $2,969 per month in Dubrovnik and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $90.6 per month in Dubrovnik and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Dubrovnik – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Dubrovnik at $1,979. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubrovnik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,979 in Dubrovnik. 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, Dubrovnik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.