Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gjilan and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Gjilan: $774 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Gjilan
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Gjilan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Gjilan

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$774

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gjilan 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 Gjilan and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $774 per month in Gjilan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gjilan $774
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,149 per month in Gjilan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gjilan $1,149
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,524 per month in Gjilan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gjilan $1,524
Chiang Mai $1,979

Gjilan is about 17% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Gjilan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Gjilan 43% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.28 €3.83

$2.24 ฿75.6

91.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.18 €19.87

$19.00 ฿641

16.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 €4.88

$5.55 ฿187

-1.80%

Cappuccino

$1.37 €1.23

$1.67 ฿56.5

-17.96%

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

$1.07 €0.96

$0.64 ฿21.54

67.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.31 ฿10.31

183.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.65 €1.48

$2.36 ฿79.5

-30.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.66 ฿124

-62.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.95 ฿65.7

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 €0.39

$1.44 ฿48.46

-69.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.33 ฿45.03

-4.51%

Eggs

$1.78 €1.59

$2.28 ฿77.1

-21.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.03 €7.20

$16.45 ฿555

-51.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.77 €6.06

$2.78 ฿93.9

143.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.45 €11.15

$9.31 ฿314

33.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 €1.44

$2.35 ฿79.4

-31.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$0.97 ฿32.79

62.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.60 ฿53.9

11.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.50 ฿50.6

11.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.28 ฿43.11

-28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 €0.77

$1.10 ฿37.18

-21.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.71 ฿23.82

8.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 €0.44

$0.49 ฿16.36

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 €3.02

$4.14 ฿140

-18.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 €4.93

$17.52 ฿591

-68.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.82

$1.61 ฿54.5

-43.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$2.78 ฿93.9

-56.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.87 ฿29.30

-36.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.16 ฿39.04

90.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 €0.49

$0.53 ฿17.80

1.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 €3.02

$2.42 ฿81.7

39.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.45 ฿48.88

-1.38%

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

$22.2K €19.9K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

5.54%

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

$25.7K €23.0K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-4.71%

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

$104 €93.4

$62.2 ฿2,098

67.70%

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

$11.39 €10.20

$12.17 ฿411

-6.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.40 €20.96

$20.12 ฿679

16.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.32 €17.31

$37.31 ฿1,259

-48.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 €4.09

$6.49 ฿219

-29.58%

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

$169 €151

$736 ฿24.8K

-77.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,476 €1,322

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-90.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.23 €37.82

$53.4 ฿1,801

-20.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.95 €28.61

$24.64 ฿831

29.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 €56.4

$91.5 ฿3,087

-31.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.1 €71.8

$71.9 ฿2,427

11.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 €248

$482 ฿16.3K

-42.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 €203

$309 ฿10.4K

-26.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$474 €424

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-52.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 €320

$633 ฿21.4K

-43.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$905 €811

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-61.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$698 €625

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-56.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$456 €408

$590 ฿19.9K

-22.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.57

-19.21%

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

Last update for Gjilan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gjilan

$227 29.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 36.2% $82

Groceries & Markets

Gjilan

$189 24.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 23.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gjilan

$139 18%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 32.1% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Gjilan

$98 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 11.1% $11

Eating Out

Gjilan

$86 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 9.6% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Gjilan

$28 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 76.7% $22

Getting Around

Gjilan

$7.1 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 761% $54

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Gjilan versus $482 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 29% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Gjilan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Gjilan vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Gjilan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇽🇰 Gjilan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

6 h ahead of Gjilan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,239

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gjilan Chiang Mai 7,600 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Gjilan
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 21% more than Gjilan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,162 per month in Gjilan and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gjilan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $277 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Gjilan and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $774 in Gjilan and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Gjilan – 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.

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