Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sveti Nikole and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $858 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sveti Nikole
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Sveti Nikole Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$858

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $858 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $858
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,309 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $1,309
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,760 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $1,760
Chiang Mai $1,914

Sveti Nikole is about 9% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sveti Nikole and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sveti Nikole 36% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 MKD 481

$2.26 ฿75.4

289.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.98 MKD 1,799

$19.18 ฿641

71.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 MKD 292

$5.59 ฿187

-4.11%

Cappuccino

$1.61 MKD 88.0

$1.72 ฿57.6

-6.40%

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

$1.38 MKD 75.5

$0.64 ฿21.54

115.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MKD 56.2

$0.33 ฿11.18

212.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 MKD 82.2

$2.36 ฿78.7

-36.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 MKD 101

$3.90 ฿130

-52.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 MKD 72.6

$2.05 ฿68.6

-35.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 MKD 30.14

$1.40 ฿46.70

-60.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 MKD 63.8

$1.28 ฿42.89

-8.59%

Eggs

$2.43 MKD 132

$2.25 ฿75.3

8.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.29 MKD 507

$16.94 ฿566

-45.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 MKD 252

$2.74 ฿91.6

68.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.58 MKD 632

$9.36 ฿313

23.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 MKD 70.1

$2.40 ฿80.3

-46.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 MKD 71.1

$1.01 ฿33.92

28.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 MKD 69.9

$1.61 ฿53.9

-20.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 MKD 94.7

$1.52 ฿50.7

14.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 MKD 40.20

$1.28 ฿42.90

-42.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 MKD 62.2

$1.11 ฿37.22

2.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 MKD 46.91

$0.72 ฿24.09

19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 MKD 21.64

$0.52 ฿17.54

-23.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 MKD 168

$4.33 ฿145

-29.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 MKD 354

$17.73 ฿593

-63.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 MKD 55.9

$1.63 ฿54.4

-37.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 MKD 81.3

$2.85 ฿95.3

-47.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MKD 38.82

$0.85 ฿28.31

-16.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.57 MKD 1,286

$53.9 ฿1,801

-56.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 MKD 79.8

$1.17 ฿39.18

24.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 MKD 55.2

$0.57 ฿19.00

77.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 MKD 199

$2.37 ฿79.2

54.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MKD 76.3

$1.45 ฿48.32

-3.45%

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

$31.4K MKD 1.7M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

53.50%

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

$27.7K MKD 1.5M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

4.57%

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

$127 MKD 6,901

$62.3 ฿2,083

102.97%

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

$15.70 MKD 857

$12.27 ฿410

27.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.97 MKD 653

$19.97 ฿668

-40.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.94 MKD 1,197

$37.91 ฿1,267

-42.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 MKD 1,077

$3.76 ฿126

425.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MKD 278

$6.71 ฿224

-23.99%

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

$280 MKD 15.3K

$797 ฿26.6K

-64.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,095 MKD 168.8K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-79.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MKD 3,968

$53.3 ฿1,780

36.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.84 MKD 1,737

$25.05 ฿837

27.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.0 MKD 4,474

$91.6 ฿3,062

-10.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 MKD 4,765

$73.5 ฿2,455

18.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 MKD 17.1K

$464 ฿15.5K

-32.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 MKD 11.3K

$305 ฿10.2K

-31.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 MKD 24.6K

$915 ฿30.6K

-50.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 MKD 17.2K

$552 ฿18.5K

-42.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,523 MKD 83.1K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-20.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,169 MKD 63.8K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-18.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$539 MKD 29.4K

$595 ฿19.9K

-9.52%

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 Sveti Nikole: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sveti Nikole

$207 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 46.9% $97

Groceries & Markets

Sveti Nikole

$181 21.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 31.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sveti Nikole

$154 18%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 38.7% $60

Eating Out

Sveti Nikole

$127 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 37.7% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Sveti Nikole

$123 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 11.2% $14

Getting Around

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 86.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Sveti Nikole

$32 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 59.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $313 in Sveti Nikole 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 11% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $33.00 in Sveti Nikole versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $181 in Sveti Nikole vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Sveti Nikole wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

02:25 2:25 AM

5 h ahead of Sveti Nikole

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,220

127,240

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sveti Nikole Chiang Mai 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sveti Nikole
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

Sveti Nikole vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 9% more than Sveti Nikole, 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 $1,286 per month in Sveti Nikole 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 Sveti Nikole, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $280 per month in Sveti Nikole and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sveti Nikole, where all-in costs run around $858, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Sveti Nikole 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. Sveti Nikole costs $858 versus $938 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 Sveti Nikole. 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.