Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perast and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,258 in Perast, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Perast
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Perast Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Perast

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,258

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,258 per month in Perast vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Perast $1,258
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,957 per month in Perast vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Perast $1,957
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,655 per month in Perast vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Perast $2,655
Chiang Mai $1,903

Perast costs about 36% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Perast and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Perast 7% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.01 €9.79

$2.29 ฿76.5

380.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.56 €31.63

$19.64 ฿656

81.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.91 €7.92

$5.61 ฿188

58.82%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.96

$1.66 ฿55.6

32.53%

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

$2.46 €2.19

$0.70 ฿23.40

251.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.31 ฿10.24

370.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.41 ฿80.4

19.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.00

$3.71 ฿124

-8.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.95 ฿65.3

-38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.41 ฿47.03

-28.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.31 ฿43.62

51.15%

Eggs

$3.10 €2.76

$2.18 ฿72.9

42.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 €7.77

$16.65 ฿556

-47.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 €6.46

$2.76 ฿92.2

163.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.17 €10.83

$9.11 ฿304

33.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.39 ฿80.0

-43.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.03 ฿34.26

45.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.63 ฿54.4

-0.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.50 ฿50.0

52.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.29 ฿43.13

-28.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.11 ฿37.03

-8.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.34

$0.72 ฿24.08

109.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.69

$0.53 ฿17.59

47.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 €3.53

$4.31 ฿144

-8.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 €3.89

$17.95 ฿600

-75.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.58 ฿52.9

-32.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.84 ฿95.0

-39.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.86 ฿28.86

91.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.32 €34.09

$53.3 ฿1,780

-28.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.21 ฿40.29

-37.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 €0.66

$0.57 ฿18.99

31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.25 €10.00

$2.35 ฿78.6

378.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.44 ฿47.96

21.53%

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

$31.0K €27.5K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

49.39%

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

$21.1K €18.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-21.32%

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

$128 €114

$62.3 ฿2,083

105.84%

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

$13.17 €11.72

$12.11 ฿405

8.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.32 €27.86

$19.94 ฿666

57.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 €40.82

$37.07 ฿1,239

23.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.74 €13.11

$3.78 ฿126

289.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.46 €5.75

$6.50 ฿217

-0.62%

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

$345 €306

$793 ฿26.5K

-56.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,066 €6,285

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-52.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €75.7

$53.7 ฿1,796

58.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.04 €30.28

$24.62 ฿823

38.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 €64.6

$90.9 ฿3,036

-20.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 €84.5

$71.1 ฿2,378

33.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 €579

$455 ฿15.2K

42.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 €407

$298 ฿9,954

53.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 €1,136

$908 ฿30.4K

40.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$913 €812

$554 ฿18.5K

64.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,319 €2,953

$1,931 ฿64.5K

71.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,347 €2,088

$1,445 ฿48.3K

62.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-10.23%

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

Last update for Perast: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perast

$457 36.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 34.9% $159

Groceries & Markets

Perast

$213 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 10.6% $23

Eating Out

Perast

$178 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 55.8% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perast

$173 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 45.4% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Perast

$129 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 16.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Perast

$59 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 14.9% $8.8

Getting Around

Perast

$49 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 23% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $651 in Perast versus $455 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 $36.00 in Perast versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $213 in Perast vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Perast wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Perast

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

10:50 10:50 AM

6 h ahead of Perast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

350

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Perast Chiang Mai 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Perast
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

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

Perast costs about 36% 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 $1,887 per month in Perast and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $345 per month in Perast and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Perast – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Perast at $1,258. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Perast it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,258 in Perast. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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