Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kotor and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,536 in Kotor, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kotor, Montenegro
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Kotor
🇲🇪 Montenegro
$1,536
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,536 per month in Kotor vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kotor $1,536
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,437 per month in Kotor vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kotor $2,437
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,338 per month in Kotor vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kotor $3,338
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Kotor costs about 64% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kotor sits 13% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kotor
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.05 €9.90
$2.24 ฿75.6
393.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.9 €51.9
$19.00 ฿641
204.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.11 €9.95
$5.55 ฿187
100.18%
Cappuccino
$3.23 €2.89
$1.67 ฿56.5
93.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 €2.23
$0.64 ฿21.55
289.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 €1.41
$0.31 ฿10.31
409.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 €2.78
$2.36 ฿79.6
31.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.40 €3.94
$3.66 ฿124
20.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kotor
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 €1.13
$1.95 ฿65.8
-35.38%
White Bread (500g)
$0.99 €0.89
$1.44 ฿48.48
-31.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.33 ฿45.04
43.61%
Eggs
$3.57 €3.20
$2.28 ฿77.1
56.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.98 €8.05
$16.45 ฿555
-45.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.51 €7.63
$2.78 ฿93.9
206.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.51 €11.21
$9.31 ฿314
34.37%
Apples (1kg)
$1.34 €1.20
$2.35 ฿79.4
-42.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.72 €1.54
$0.97 ฿32.80
77.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.55 €1.39
$1.60 ฿53.9
-3.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 €2.17
$1.50 ฿50.6
61.33%
Potato (1kg)
$0.93 €0.83
$1.28 ฿43.12
-27.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.07 €0.96
$1.10 ฿37.19
-2.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 €1.34
$0.71 ฿23.82
109.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 €0.71
$0.49 ฿16.37
63.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 €3.97
$4.14 ฿140
7.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.99 €8.06
$17.52 ฿591
-48.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 €0.98
$1.61 ฿54.5
-32.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 €1.63
$2.78 ฿94.0
-34.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Kotor
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.65 €1.48
$0.87 ฿29.31
89.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.37 €40.65
$54.1 ฿1,826
-16.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 €0.69
$1.16 ฿39.06
-33.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.14 €1.02
$0.53 ฿17.80
115.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.22 €10.05
$2.42 ฿81.8
363.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.69 €1.52
$1.45 ฿48.90
16.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K €25.0K
$21.1K ฿710.7K
32.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K €21.4K
$26.9K ฿909.3K
-11.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kotor
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$127 €114
$62.2 ฿2,098
104.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.92 €15.17
$12.17 ฿411
39.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.06 €28.73
$20.12 ฿679
59.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kotor
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.81 €40.16
$37.31 ฿1,259
20.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.22 €18.12
$3.77 ฿127
436.34%
Cinema Ticket
$6.56 €5.88
$6.49 ฿219
1.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kotor
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$340 €305
$736 ฿24.8K
-53.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,381 €6,614
$14.8K ฿498.3K
-50.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kotor
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.5 €76.6
$53.4 ฿1,801
60.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.22 €40.52
$24.64 ฿831
83.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.1 €87.0
$91.5 ฿3,087
6.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 €93.2
$71.9 ฿2,428
44.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kotor
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$659 €591
$482 ฿16.3K
36.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$659 €590
$309 ฿10.4K
113.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,327 €1,189
$1,006 ฿33.9K
31.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,321 €1,184
$633 ฿21.4K
108.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,931 €3,523
$2,363 ฿79.8K
66.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,786 €2,496
$1,589 ฿53.6K
75.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kotor
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$933 €836
$590 ฿19.9K
58.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.95
5.57
6.82%

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

Last update for Kotor: 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
Kotor
$659
Chiang Mai
$309 53.1% $350
Groceries & Markets
Kotor
$234
Chiang Mai
$234 0% $0.1
Eating Out
Kotor
$201
Chiang Mai
$78 61.4% $123
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kotor
$176
Chiang Mai
$94 46.5% $82
Clothing & Footwear
Kotor
$149
Chiang Mai
$109 27.3% $41
Getting Around
Kotor
$58
Chiang Mai
$61 5% $2.9
Sport & Entertainment
Kotor
$58
Chiang Mai
$50 13.2% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $659 in Kotor 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 58% higher in Kotor, 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 $58 in Kotor versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Kotor vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Kotor wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇪 Kotor
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
05:08 5:08 AM
11:08 11:08 AM
6 h ahead of Kotor
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
13,000
127,240
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kotor Chiang Mai 7,820 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kotor
  • 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
Kotor vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kotor or Chiang Mai?
Kotor costs about 64% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Kotor and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,304 per month in Kotor 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, Kotor or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $659 in Kotor.
How do dining costs compare in Kotor and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Kotor and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How expensive is transport in Kotor compared to Chiang Mai?
Public transport costs about 16% less in Kotor. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $800/month in Kotor or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,536 in Kotor and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Kotor or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,536 in Kotor. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Kotor compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Kotor or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kotor makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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