Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Strumica and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Strumica: $859 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

41

Cost of Living Index in Strumica
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Strumica Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Strumica

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Strumica vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Strumica $859
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,216 per month in Strumica vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Strumica $1,216
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,574 per month in Strumica vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Strumica $1,574
Chiang Mai $1,999

Strumica is about 8% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Strumica and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Strumica 36% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 MKD 202

$2.13 ฿71.8

73.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.47 MKD 1,224

$18.62 ฿626

20.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.65 MKD 199

$5.60 ฿188

-34.82%

Cappuccino

$1.51 MKD 82.5

$1.66 ฿55.9

-9.04%

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

$1.33 MKD 72.3

$0.65 ฿21.75

104.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MKD 63.2

$0.30 ฿10.25

286.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 MKD 102

$2.32 ฿78.1

-19.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 MKD 107

$3.67 ฿123

-46.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 MKD 67.2

$2.02 ฿67.8

-39.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 MKD 42.93

$1.41 ฿47.34

-43.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MKD 93.4

$1.39 ฿46.79

23.02%

Eggs

$2.22 MKD 121

$2.37 ฿79.6

-6.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.04 MKD 438

$16.52 ฿555

-51.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 MKD 333

$2.67 ฿89.8

128.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.81 MKD 534

$9.02 ฿303

8.76%

Apples (1kg)

$0.61 MKD 33.21

$2.40 ฿80.6

-74.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 76.9

$1.04 ฿35.01

35.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 MKD 65.3

$1.66 ฿55.8

-27.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MKD 107

$1.56 ฿52.4

26.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 MKD 46.02

$1.24 ฿41.61

-32.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 MKD 41.93

$1.09 ฿36.53

-29.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 MKD 34.80

$0.76 ฿25.61

-15.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 31.89

$0.51 ฿17.29

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 MKD 149

$4.12 ฿139

-33.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.52 MKD 301

$17.93 ฿603

-69.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 MKD 47.29

$1.62 ฿54.6

-46.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 MKD 65.6

$2.82 ฿94.9

-57.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MKD 39.10

$0.93 ฿31.42

-22.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 MKD 60.4

$1.18 ฿39.56

-5.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 MKD 33.94

$0.17 ฿5.76

264.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.86 MKD 428

$1.81 ฿60.9

334.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 MKD 89.2

$1.47 ฿49.51

11.56%

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

$34.2K MKD 1.9M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

62.79%

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

$26.6K MKD 1.4M

$26.5K ฿891.4K

0.16%

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

$148 MKD 8,073

$62.6 ฿2,103

136.91%

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

$12.86 MKD 700

$11.60 ฿390

10.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.24 MKD 939

$20.30 ฿683

-15.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.86 MKD 1,082

$37.88 ฿1,274

-47.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$7.41 MKD 404

$6.51 ฿219

13.82%

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

$375 MKD 20.4K

$727 ฿24.4K

-48.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,846 MKD 481.8K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-46.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 MKD 4,544

$53.5 ฿1,800

55.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.65 MKD 1,996

$24.80 ฿834

47.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 MKD 5,443

$90.4 ฿3,039

10.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 MKD 4,930

$72.0 ฿2,420

25.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$316 MKD 17.2K

$481 ฿16.2K

-34.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 MKD 13.0K

$310 ฿10.4K

-22.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 MKD 27.5K

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-52.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 MKD 16.3K

$659 ฿22.1K

-54.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,457 MKD 79.3K

$2,418 ฿81.3K

-39.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$983 MKD 53.6K

$1,609 ฿54.1K

-38.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$628 MKD 34.2K

$595 ฿20.0K

5.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Strumica: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Strumica

$239 27.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 29.4% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Strumica

$178 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 47% $84

Groceries & Markets

Strumica

$178 20.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 33.2% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Strumica

$140 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 22.5% $31

Eating Out

Strumica

$82 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 6.6% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Strumica

$35 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 46.8% $16

Getting Around

Strumica

$7.1 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 726% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $316 in Strumica versus $481 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 6% higher in Strumica, 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 $22 in Strumica versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $178 in Strumica vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Strumica wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Strumica

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

06:12 6:12 AM

6 h ahead of Strumica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,000

127,240

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 54.47 MKD (100 MKD = 1.84 USD). 1 EUR = 61.32 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Strumica Chiang Mai 7,520 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Strumica
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 9% more than Strumica, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Strumica and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Strumica, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $316 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Strumica and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $859 in Strumica and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Strumica – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.