Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hvar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,522 in Hvar, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Hvar
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Hvar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hvar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,522

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,522 per month in Hvar vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hvar $1,522
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,310 per month in Hvar vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hvar $2,310
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,097 per month in Hvar vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hvar $3,097
Chiang Mai $1,979

Hvar costs about 63% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hvar sits 12% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.08 €11.75

$2.24 ฿75.7

483.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.8 €65.4

$19.00 ฿642

283.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 €8.20

$5.55 ฿188

64.50%

Cappuccino

$2.53 €2.27

$1.67 ฿56.6

51.50%

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

$3.12 €2.80

$0.64 ฿21.56

387.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$0.31 ฿10.32

635.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 €3.18

$2.36 ฿79.6

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 €3.68

$3.66 ฿124

11.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.95 ฿65.8

-38.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.39

$1.44 ฿48.51

6.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.69

$1.33 ฿45.07

124.81%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.49

$2.28 ฿77.1

70.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.69 €9.60

$16.45 ฿556

-35.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 €8.52

$2.78 ฿94.0

241.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 €10.53

$9.31 ฿314

25.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 €1.55

$2.35 ฿79.5

-26.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$0.97 ฿32.82

72.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.60 ฿53.9

24.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.31

$1.50 ฿50.7

71.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.28 ฿43.15

0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.10 ฿37.22

16.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.14

$0.71 ฿23.84

78.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.08

$0.49 ฿16.38

144.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.73 €5.14

$4.14 ฿140

38.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.19

$17.52 ฿592

-60.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.61 ฿54.5

-6.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.79

$2.78 ฿94.0

-28.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.58

$0.87 ฿29.33

102.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.21 €38.82

$54.1 ฿1,827

-20.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.77

$1.16 ฿39.08

165.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 €1.00

$0.53 ฿17.82

109.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 €7.91

$2.42 ฿81.8

263.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.45 ฿48.93

22.76%

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

$38.2K €34.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

81.55%

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

$26.6K €23.9K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-1.41%

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

$190 €170

$62.2 ฿2,100

205.24%

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

$22.50 €20.21

$12.17 ฿411

84.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.64 €28.42

$20.12 ฿680

57.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 €45.37

$37.31 ฿1,260

35.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.55 €13.07

$3.77 ฿127

285.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 €7.96

$6.49 ฿219

36.52%

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

$243 €218

$736 ฿24.9K

-67.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,090 €7,267

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-45.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.0 €84.4

$53.4 ฿1,802

76.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 €35.03

$24.64 ฿832

58.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.2

$91.5 ฿3,089

14.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.8

$71.9 ฿2,429

46.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 €612

$482 ฿16.3K

41.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 €473

$309 ฿10.4K

70.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,116 €1,002

$1,006 ฿34.0K

10.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$828 €744

$633 ฿21.4K

30.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,155 €3,733

$2,363 ฿79.8K

75.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,241 €2,911

$1,589 ฿53.7K

103.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.35

5.57

-21.90%

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

Last update for Hvar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hvar

$526 34.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 41.3% $217

Groceries & Markets

Hvar

$260 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 9.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hvar

$244 16%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 61.3% $149

Eating Out

Hvar

$210 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 63% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Hvar

$155 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 29.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Hvar

$68 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.3% $18

Getting Around

Hvar

$59 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 4.2% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $681 in Hvar 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Hvar versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Hvar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

21:05 9:05 PM

6 h ahead of Hvar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,979

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Hvar Chiang Mai 8,000 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Hvar
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

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

Hvar costs about 63% 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 $2,283 per month in Hvar 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $681 in Hvar.

Kindergarten costs $243 per month in Hvar and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Hvar, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,522 in Hvar and $936 in Chiang Mai. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,522 in Hvar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.