Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kocani and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kocani: $874 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Kocani, North Macedonia
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Kocani
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$874
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $874 per month in Kocani vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kocani $874
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,333 per month in Kocani vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kocani $1,333
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,793 per month in Kocani vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kocani $1,793
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Kocani is about 7% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kocani and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kocani 36% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kocani
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.85 MKD 539
$2.24 ฿75.6
339.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.31 MKD 1,876
$19.00 ฿641
80.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.59 MKD 361
$5.55 ฿187
18.74%
Cappuccino
$1.11 MKD 60.5
$1.67 ฿56.5
-33.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 MKD 81.2
$0.64 ฿21.53
132.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 MKD 60.9
$0.31 ฿10.30
258.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.68 MKD 147
$2.36 ฿79.5
13.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 MKD 170
$3.66 ฿124
-15.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kocani
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 MKD 64.7
$1.95 ฿65.7
-39.49%
White Bread (500g)
$0.58 MKD 31.63
$1.44 ฿48.45
-59.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 MKD 88.7
$1.33 ฿45.01
21.80%
Eggs
$1.76 MKD 96.1
$2.28 ฿77.0
-22.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.53 MKD 357
$16.45 ฿555
-60.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.36 MKD 238
$2.78 ฿93.8
56.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.02 MKD 438
$9.31 ฿314
-13.86%
Apples (1kg)
$1.26 MKD 68.7
$2.35 ฿79.4
-46.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 MKD 77.0
$0.97 ฿32.78
45.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.25 MKD 68.3
$1.60 ฿53.9
-21.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.87 MKD 102
$1.50 ฿50.6
24.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 MKD 41.32
$1.28 ฿43.10
-40.63%
Onion (1kg)
$0.83 MKD 45.61
$1.10 ฿37.17
-24.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.57 MKD 31.31
$0.71 ฿23.81
-19.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 MKD 25.39
$0.49 ฿16.36
-6.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.52 MKD 193
$4.14 ฿140
-14.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.74 MKD 205
$17.52 ฿591
-78.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 MKD 43.90
$1.61 ฿54.5
-50.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.07 MKD 58.4
$2.78 ฿93.9
-61.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Kocani
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.39 MKD 76.3
$0.87 ฿29.29
59.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.31 MKD 1,275
$54.1 ฿1,825
-56.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.12 MKD 61.3
$1.16 ฿39.03
-3.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.62 MKD 33.80
$0.53 ฿17.79
16.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.09 MKD 169
$2.42 ฿81.7
27.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 MKD 77.1
$1.45 ฿48.87
-2.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K MKD 1.8M
$21.1K ฿710.3K
60.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K MKD 1.4M
$26.9K ฿908.7K
-3.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kocani
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$156 MKD 8,526
$62.2 ฿2,097
150.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.57 MKD 961
$12.17 ฿410
44.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.57 MKD 796
$20.12 ฿679
-27.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kocani
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.05 MKD 878
$37.31 ฿1,259
-56.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.51 MKD 957
$3.77 ฿127
364.46%
Cinema Ticket
$7.27 MKD 398
$6.49 ฿219
12.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kocani
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$371 MKD 20.3K
$736 ฿24.8K
-49.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,705 MKD 311.9K
$14.8K ฿498.0K
-61.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kocani
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.8 MKD 3,433
$53.4 ฿1,800
17.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.53 MKD 2,052
$24.64 ฿831
52.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.9 MKD 5,027
$91.5 ฿3,086
0.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 MKD 5,544
$71.9 ฿2,426
40.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kocani
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$274 MKD 15.0K
$482 ฿16.3K
-43.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$197 MKD 10.8K
$309 ฿10.4K
-36.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$558 MKD 30.5K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-44.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$332 MKD 18.1K
$633 ฿21.4K
-47.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,693 MKD 92.5K
$2,363 ฿79.7K
-28.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,001 MKD 54.7K
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-37.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kocani
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$456 MKD 24.9K
$590 ฿19.9K
-22.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.23
5.57
-24.06%

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

Last update for Kocani: 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
Kocani
$197
Chiang Mai
$309 56.8% $112
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kocani
$188
Chiang Mai
$94 49.8% $94
Groceries & Markets
Kocani
$151
Chiang Mai
$234 55.1% $83
Eating Out
Kocani
$142
Chiang Mai
$78 45.3% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Kocani
$132
Chiang Mai
$109 17.8% $24
Getting Around
Kocani
$33
Chiang Mai
$61 85.4% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Kocani
$31
Chiang Mai
$50 64.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Kocani 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 $34 in Kocani versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $151 in Kocani vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Kocani wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇰 Kocani
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
03:36 3:36 AM
09:36 9:36 AM
6 h ahead of Kocani
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
29,000
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 54.68 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.29 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kocani Chiang Mai 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kocani
  • 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
Kocani vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kocani or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Kocani, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Kocani and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,311 per month in Kocani and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Kocani or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kocani, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $274 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Kocani and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $371 per month in Kocani and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Kocani or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 55% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Kocani or in Chiang Mai?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $874 in Kocani and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Kocani – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Kocani or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Kocani. 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.

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