Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sutomore and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,095 in Sutomore, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Sutomore
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Sutomore Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sutomore

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,095

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,095 per month in Sutomore vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sutomore $1,095
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,682 per month in Sutomore vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sutomore $1,682
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,269 per month in Sutomore vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sutomore $2,269
Chiang Mai $1,903

Sutomore costs about 18% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sutomore and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sutomore 19% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.24 €10.00

$2.29 ฿76.5

390.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.96 €31.99

$19.64 ฿656

83.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 €8.14

$5.61 ฿188

63.28%

Cappuccino

$2.59 €2.30

$1.66 ฿55.6

56.02%

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

$2.20 €1.96

$0.70 ฿23.40

214.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.31 ฿10.24

374.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 €2.53

$2.41 ฿80.4

18.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.71 ฿124

-7.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.95 ฿65.3

-38.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.41 ฿47.03

-28.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.31 ฿43.62

71.76%

Eggs

$3.08 €2.74

$2.18 ฿72.9

41.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.77 €7.80

$16.65 ฿556

-47.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.55 €6.71

$2.76 ฿92.2

173.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.24 €10.89

$9.11 ฿304

34.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.39 ฿80.0

-47.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.03 ฿34.26

44.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.63 ฿54.4

-9.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.56

$1.50 ฿50.0

91.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 €0.75

$1.29 ฿43.13

-34.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.11 ฿37.03

-1.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.72 ฿24.08

102.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.53 ฿17.59

67.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 €3.42

$4.31 ฿144

-10.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.56 €4.05

$17.95 ฿600

-74.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.58 ฿52.9

-21.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.84 ฿95.0

-40.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.86 ฿28.86

91.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.44 €34.19

$53.3 ฿1,780

-27.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.21 ฿40.29

-5.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.57 ฿18.99

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.91 €15.04

$2.35 ฿78.6

619.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.44 ฿47.96

22.92%

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

$28.7K €25.5K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

38.50%

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

$21.3K €18.9K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-20.58%

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

$133 €118

$62.3 ฿2,083

112.66%

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

$13.19 €11.73

$12.11 ฿405

8.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.34 €29.65

$19.94 ฿666

67.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.68 €40.63

$37.07 ฿1,239

23.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.42 €12.83

$3.78 ฿126

281.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.97 €5.31

$6.50 ฿217

-8.15%

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

$395 €352

$793 ฿26.5K

-50.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,959 €6,190

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-53.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.5 €75.2

$53.7 ฿1,796

57.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 €29.56

$24.62 ฿823

35.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 €64.2

$90.9 ฿3,036

-20.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.0 €82.8

$71.1 ฿2,378

30.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 €329

$455 ฿15.2K

-18.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 €245

$298 ฿9,954

-7.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 €497

$908 ฿30.4K

-38.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 €439

$554 ฿18.5K

-10.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,356 €2,985

$1,931 ฿64.5K

73.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,300 €2,046

$1,445 ฿48.3K

59.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$669 €595

$591 ฿19.7K

13.26%

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 Sutomore: 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

Sutomore

$275 25.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 8.3% $23

Groceries & Markets

Sutomore

$219 20%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 7.3% $16

Eating Out

Sutomore

$184 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 57.3% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sutomore

$179 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 47.3% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Sutomore

$127 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 15.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Sutomore

$58 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 13.1% $7.6

Getting Around

Sutomore

$52 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 17.1% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $370 in Sutomore 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 13% higher in Sutomore, 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 $36.00 in Sutomore versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $219 in Sutomore vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Sutomore wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Sutomore

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

10:50 10:50 AM

6 h ahead of Sutomore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000

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

Sutomore Chiang Mai 7,810 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sutomore
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

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

Sutomore costs about 18% 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 $1,642 per month in Sutomore 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 $395 per month in Sutomore 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 7% cheaper in Sutomore – 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 Sutomore at $1,095. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sutomore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,095 in Sutomore. 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, Sutomore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.