Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sabac and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabac: $840 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sabac
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Sabac Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sabac

🇷🇸 Serbia

$840

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $840 per month in Sabac vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sabac $840
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,276 per month in Sabac vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sabac $1,276
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,712 per month in Sabac vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sabac $1,712
Chiang Mai $1,903

Sabac is about 9% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sabac and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sabac 38% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.23 RSD 858

$2.29 ฿76.5

259.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.55 RSD 2,872

$19.64 ฿656

40.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.71 RSD 700

$5.61 ฿188

19.61%

Cappuccino

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.66 ฿55.6

12.65%

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

$1.87 RSD 195

$0.70 ฿23.40

167.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 RSD 146

$0.31 ฿10.24

351.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 RSD 274

$2.41 ฿80.4

9.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 RSD 274

$3.71 ฿124

-29.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 RSD 136

$1.95 ฿65.3

-32.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 RSD 65.0

$1.41 ฿47.03

-56.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 RSD 200

$1.31 ฿43.62

46.56%

Eggs

$1.89 RSD 197

$2.18 ฿72.9

-13.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.65 RSD 589

$16.65 ฿556

-66.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.31 RSD 658

$2.76 ฿92.2

128.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.48 RSD 1,197

$9.11 ฿304

26.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 RSD 129

$2.39 ฿80.0

-48.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 RSD 188

$1.03 ฿34.26

74.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 RSD 151

$1.63 ฿54.4

-11.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 RSD 196

$1.50 ฿50.0

25.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 RSD 72.6

$1.29 ฿43.13

-45.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 RSD 36.08

$1.11 ฿37.03

-68.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 RSD 105

$0.72 ฿24.08

38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 RSD 41.90

$0.53 ฿17.59

-24.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.61 RSD 377

$4.31 ฿144

-16.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 RSD 807

$17.95 ฿600

-56.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RSD 68.4

$1.58 ฿52.9

-58.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.6

$2.84 ฿95.0

-66.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 RSD 97.1

$0.86 ฿28.86

8.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 RSD 145

$1.21 ฿40.29

14.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 RSD 98.9

$0.57 ฿18.99

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 RSD 532

$2.35 ฿78.6

117.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 RSD 183

$1.44 ฿47.96

22.22%

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

$30.3K RSD 3.2M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

46.00%

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

$24.4K RSD 2.5M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-8.81%

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

$138 RSD 14.4K

$62.3 ฿2,083

121.11%

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

$25.50 RSD 2,658

$12.11 ฿405

110.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.96 RSD 1,976

$19.94 ฿666

-4.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.17 RSD 3,041

$37.07 ฿1,239

-21.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 RSD 1,192

$3.78 ฿126

202.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.58 RSD 581

$6.50 ฿217

-14.15%

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

$176 RSD 18.3K

$793 ฿26.5K

-77.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,770 RSD 393.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-74.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 RSD 6,238

$53.7 ฿1,796

11.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.5 RSD 6,721

$24.62 ฿823

161.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.6 RSD 5,898

$90.9 ฿3,036

-37.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 RSD 12.3K

$71.1 ฿2,378

66.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$234 RSD 24.4K

$455 ฿15.2K

-48.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 RSD 15.7K

$298 ฿9,954

-49.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$345 RSD 35.9K

$908 ฿30.4K

-62.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 RSD 26.1K

$554 ฿18.5K

-54.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,884 RSD 196.4K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-2.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,514 RSD 157.8K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

4.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$962 RSD 100.3K

$591 ฿19.7K

62.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.84

5.57

-13.11%

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

Last update for Sabac: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sabac

$182 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 48.2% $88

Groceries & Markets

Sabac

$182 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 29.4% $54

Accommodation & Living

Sabac

$151 18%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 97.2% $147

Eating Out

Sabac

$140 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 43.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Sabac

$135 16%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 19.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sabac

$40 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 24.2% $9.7

Getting Around

Sabac

$9.9 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 516% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $234 in Sabac 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.

Salaries run about 63% higher in Sabac, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Sabac versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $182 in Sabac vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Sabac wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Sabac

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

5 h ahead of Sabac

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,163

127,240

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sabac Chiang Mai 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sabac
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Sabac, 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 $1,260 per month in Sabac 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 Sabac, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Sabac and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sabac, where all-in costs run around $840, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Sabac it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sabac costs $840 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Sabac. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.