Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlovac and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,222 in Karlovac, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Karlovac
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Karlovac Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Karlovac

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,222

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,222 per month in Karlovac vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Karlovac $1,222
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,821 per month in Karlovac vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Karlovac $1,821
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,419 per month in Karlovac vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Karlovac $2,419
Chiang Mai $1,979

Karlovac costs about 31% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Karlovac and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Karlovac 10% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.20 €10.03

$2.24 ฿75.6

400.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.46 €39.82

$19.00 ฿641

134.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 €6.82

$5.55 ฿187

37.12%

Cappuccino

$1.96 €1.76

$1.67 ฿56.5

17.37%

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

$2.45 €2.19

$0.64 ฿21.54

282.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$0.31 ฿10.31

419.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 €2.18

$2.36 ฿79.5

2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.20

$3.66 ฿124

-32.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.95 ฿65.7

-42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.44 ฿48.46

-21.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.33 ฿45.03

15.04%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.83

$2.28 ฿77.1

38.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 €8.11

$16.45 ฿555

-44.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.86 €8.83

$2.78 ฿93.9

254.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.02 €10.77

$9.31 ฿314

29.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.35 ฿79.4

-16.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$0.97 ฿32.79

89.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.60 ฿53.9

14.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.50 ฿50.6

34.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.28 ฿43.11

7.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.10 ฿37.18

-3.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.46

$0.71 ฿23.82

129.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$0.49 ฿16.36

138.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 €5.10

$4.14 ฿140

37.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.67 €5.98

$17.52 ฿591

-61.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.78 ฿93.9

-16.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.33 €2.98

$0.87 ฿29.30

282.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 €5.07

$1.16 ฿39.04

387.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.53 ฿17.80

105.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.45 ฿48.88

16.55%

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

$26.3K €23.6K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

24.97%

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

$24.7K €22.1K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-8.30%

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

$178 €160

$62.2 ฿2,098

187.04%

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

$27.68 €24.79

$12.17 ฿411

127.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.87 €34.81

$20.12 ฿679

93.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.63 €34.60

$37.31 ฿1,259

3.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.24 €16.34

$3.77 ฿127

383.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 €5.87

$6.49 ฿219

0.92%

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

$427 €383

$736 ฿24.8K

-41.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,876 €6,158

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-53.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €79.9

$53.4 ฿1,801

67.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.51 €44.34

$24.64 ฿831

100.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 €79.5

$91.5 ฿3,087

-2.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.3 €70.1

$71.9 ฿2,427

8.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 €428

$482 ฿16.3K

-0.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 €312

$309 ฿10.4K

12.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 €657

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-27.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 €475

$633 ฿21.4K

-16.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,746 €2,460

$2,363 ฿79.7K

16.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,382 €2,133

$1,589 ฿53.6K

49.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,399 €1,253

$590 ฿19.9K

137.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.72

5.57

-33.21%

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

Last update for Karlovac: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlovac

$349 28.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 11.4% $40

Groceries & Markets

Karlovac

$245 20.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 4.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlovac

$245 20.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 61.4% $151

Eating Out

Karlovac

$169 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 54.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Karlovac

$138 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 21.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Karlovac

$52 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 2.8% $1.4

Getting Around

Karlovac

$24 * 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 151% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Karlovac 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 in Karlovac are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Karlovac versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Karlovac

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:25 5:25 PM

23:25 11:25 PM

6 h ahead of Karlovac

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,869

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

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Between locations

Karlovac Chiang Mai 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Karlovac
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

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

Karlovac costs about 31% 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 $1,833 per month in Karlovac and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $478 in Karlovac and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Karlovac 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 5% more in Karlovac, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,222 in Karlovac 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 $1,222 in Karlovac. 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.

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