Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Podgorica and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,328 in Podgorica, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Podgorica
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Podgorica Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Podgorica

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,328

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,328 per month in Podgorica vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Podgorica $1,328
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,094 per month in Podgorica vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Podgorica $2,094
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,860 per month in Podgorica vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Podgorica $2,860
Chiang Mai $1,914

Podgorica costs about 42% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Podgorica and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Podgorica 2% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.37 €10.12

$2.26 ฿75.4

403.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.91 €39.95

$19.18 ฿641

134.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 €9.26

$5.59 ฿187

86.23%

Cappuccino

$2.23 €1.98

$1.72 ฿57.6

29.65%

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

$2.57 €2.29

$0.64 ฿21.54

301.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.33 ฿11.18

327.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.36 ฿78.7

33.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.90 ฿130

-13.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$2.05 ฿68.6

-36.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.40 ฿46.70

-33.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.28 ฿42.89

54.69%

Eggs

$3.53 €3.14

$2.25 ฿75.3

56.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 €7.86

$16.94 ฿566

-47.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.09 €7.19

$2.74 ฿91.6

195.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 €10.63

$9.36 ฿313

27.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.40 ฿80.3

-35.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.01 ฿33.92

61.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.61 ฿53.9

10.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.52 ฿50.7

56.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.28 ฿42.90

-25.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.11 ฿37.22

-8.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.72 ฿24.09

101.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.69

$0.52 ฿17.54

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 €3.79

$4.33 ฿145

-1.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €5.08

$17.73 ฿593

-67.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.63 ฿54.4

-33.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.85 ฿95.3

-40.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.85 ฿28.31

18.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.57 €29.86

$53.9 ฿1,801

-37.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 €0.68

$1.17 ฿39.18

-34.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 €0.67

$0.57 ฿19.00

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.32 €10.07

$2.37 ฿79.2

377.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.45 ฿48.32

28.28%

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

$30.9K €27.5K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

50.80%

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

$25.9K €23.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-2.44%

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

$126 €112

$62.3 ฿2,083

102.20%

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

$18.89 €16.80

$12.27 ฿410

53.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.22 €27.77

$19.97 ฿668

56.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.05 €42.74

$37.91 ฿1,267

26.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.53 €12.03

$3.76 ฿126

259.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 €5.64

$6.71 ฿224

-5.51%

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

$335 €298

$797 ฿26.6K

-57.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,336 €6,525

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-50.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 €77.2

$53.3 ฿1,780

63.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.78 €41.61

$25.05 ฿837

86.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 €87.5

$91.6 ฿3,062

7.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.0

$73.5 ฿2,455

45.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$464 ฿15.5K

39.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 €431

$305 ฿10.2K

59.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,317 €1,172

$915 ฿30.6K

43.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$979 €871

$552 ฿18.5K

77.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,975 €2,646

$1,912 ฿63.9K

55.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,252 €2,003

$1,438 ฿48.1K

56.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,162 €1,034

$595 ฿19.9K

95.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

5.57

-6.28%

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

Last update for Podgorica: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Podgorica

$485 36.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 37.2% $180

Groceries & Markets

Podgorica

$224 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 6.2% $14

Eating Out

Podgorica

$187 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 57.8% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Podgorica

$176 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 46.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Podgorica

$152 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 28.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Podgorica

$61 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 15.5% $9.4

Getting Around

Podgorica

$42 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 45.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $647 in Podgorica versus $464 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 95% higher in Podgorica, 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 $45.00 in Podgorica versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $224 in Podgorica vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Podgorica wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Podgorica

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

13:10 1:10 PM

5 h ahead of Podgorica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,799 Capital

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

On the map

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Between locations

Podgorica Chiang Mai 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Podgorica
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

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

Podgorica costs about 42% 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 $1,992 per month in Podgorica and $1,408 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 $335 per month in Podgorica and $797 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 6% cheaper in Podgorica – 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 $938, than in Podgorica at $1,328. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Podgorica it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,328 in Podgorica. 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, Podgorica makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.