Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Prilep and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Prilep: $730 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Prilep, North Macedonia
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Prilep
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$730
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $730 per month in Prilep vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Prilep $730
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,110 per month in Prilep vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Prilep $1,110
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,489 per month in Prilep vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Prilep $1,489
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Prilep is about 22% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Prilep and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Prilep 46% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Prilep
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.90 MKD 215
$2.24 ฿75.6
74.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.36 MKD 1,505
$19.00 ฿641
44.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.77 MKD 317
$5.55 ฿187
3.96%
Cappuccino
$1.43 MKD 78.6
$1.67 ฿56.5
-14.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 MKD 88.4
$0.64 ฿21.55
151.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.18 MKD 64.8
$0.31 ฿10.31
280.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.58 MKD 87.1
$2.36 ฿79.6
-33.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 MKD 108
$3.66 ฿124
-46.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Prilep
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 MKD 62.3
$1.95 ฿65.8
-42.05%
White Bread (500g)
$0.67 MKD 37.09
$1.44 ฿48.48
-53.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.55 MKD 85.4
$1.33 ฿45.04
16.54%
Eggs
$2.04 MKD 112
$2.28 ฿77.1
-10.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.95 MKD 383
$16.45 ฿555
-57.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.88 MKD 323
$2.78 ฿93.9
111.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.23 MKD 618
$9.31 ฿314
20.62%
Apples (1kg)
$0.85 MKD 46.53
$2.35 ฿79.4
-63.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.34 MKD 73.8
$0.97 ฿32.80
38.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.00 MKD 55.2
$1.60 ฿53.9
-37.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.24 MKD 68.3
$1.50 ฿50.6
-17.33%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 MKD 41.43
$1.28 ฿43.12
-41.41%
Onion (1kg)
$0.85 MKD 46.76
$1.10 ฿37.19
-22.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.58 MKD 32.03
$0.71 ฿23.82
-18.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 MKD 24.38
$0.49 ฿16.37
-10.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.89 MKD 159
$4.14 ฿140
-30.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.09 MKD 280
$17.52 ฿591
-70.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 MKD 55.4
$1.61 ฿54.5
-37.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.18 MKD 64.9
$2.78 ฿94.0
-57.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Prilep
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 MKD 19.07
$0.87 ฿29.31
-59.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.30 MKD 1,006
$54.1 ฿1,826
-66.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.11 MKD 60.8
$1.16 ฿39.06
-4.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.60 MKD 33.14
$0.53 ฿17.80
13.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.47 MKD 356
$2.42 ฿81.8
167.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MKD 81.1
$1.45 ฿48.90
1.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.1K MKD 1.8M
$21.1K ฿710.7K
57.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K MKD 1.5M
$26.9K ฿909.3K
-1.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Prilep
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 MKD 6,778
$62.2 ฿2,098
98.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.30 MKD 952
$12.17 ฿411
42.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.82 MKD 760
$20.12 ฿679
-31.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Prilep
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.03 MKD 1,102
$37.31 ฿1,259
-46.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.23 MKD 452
$3.77 ฿127
118.30%
Cinema Ticket
$5.12 MKD 282
$6.49 ฿219
-21.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Prilep
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$277 MKD 15.2K
$736 ฿24.8K
-62.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,158 MKD 63.7K
$14.8K ฿498.3K
-92.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Prilep
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.29 MKD 2,051
$53.4 ฿1,801
-30.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.81 MKD 2,024
$24.64 ฿831
49.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.2 MKD 3,695
$91.5 ฿3,087
-26.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.1 MKD 4,405
$71.9 ฿2,428
11.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Prilep
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$229 MKD 12.6K
$482 ฿16.3K
-52.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$166 MKD 9,113
$309 ฿10.4K
-46.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$497 MKD 27.3K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-50.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$276 MKD 15.2K
$633 ฿21.4K
-56.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,029 MKD 56.6K
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-56.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$807 MKD 44.4K
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-49.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Prilep
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$603 MKD 33.2K
$590 ฿19.9K
2.26%
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 Prilep: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Prilep
$168
Chiang Mai
$234 39.4% $66
Accommodation & Living
Prilep
$166
Chiang Mai
$309 86.5% $143
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Prilep
$154
Chiang Mai
$94 38.8% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Prilep
$100
Chiang Mai
$109 9.1% $9
Eating Out
Prilep
$89
Chiang Mai
$78 12.5% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Prilep
$30
Chiang Mai
$50 66.1% $20
Getting Around
Prilep
$24
Chiang Mai
$61 158% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $229 in Prilep 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Prilep versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $168 in Prilep vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Prilep wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇰 Prilep
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
03:37 3:37 AM
09:37 9:37 AM
6 h ahead of Prilep
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
63,308
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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

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
  • Prilep Chiang Mai 7,610 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Prilep
  • 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
Prilep vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Prilep or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Prilep, 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 Prilep and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,096 per month in Prilep 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, Prilep or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Prilep, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $229 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Prilep and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $277 per month in Prilep 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 Prilep or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 39% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Prilep – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Prilep 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.

Prilep vs other spots: cost of living compared

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