Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tetovo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $997 in Tetovo, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Tetovo
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Tetovo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tetovo

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$997

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $997 per month in Tetovo vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tetovo $997
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,500 per month in Tetovo vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tetovo $1,500
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,004 per month in Tetovo vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tetovo $2,004
Chiang Mai $1,979

Tetovo costs about 7% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tetovo and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Tetovo 27% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.37 MKD 406

$2.24 ฿75.7

229.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.68 MKD 1,526

$19.00 ฿642

45.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.69 MKD 313

$5.55 ฿188

2.52%

Cappuccino

$1.56 MKD 86.0

$1.67 ฿56.6

-6.59%

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

$1.51 MKD 83.1

$0.64 ฿21.56

135.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 MKD 50.5

$0.31 ฿10.32

196.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 MKD 118

$2.36 ฿79.6

-9.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 MKD 118

$3.66 ฿124

-41.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 MKD 70.0

$1.95 ฿65.8

-34.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 MKD 34.30

$1.44 ฿48.51

-56.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 MKD 72.2

$1.33 ฿45.07

-1.50%

Eggs

$2.08 MKD 115

$2.28 ฿77.1

-8.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 MKD 408

$16.45 ฿556

-54.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.10 MKD 281

$2.78 ฿94.0

83.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 MKD 569

$9.31 ฿314

10.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 MKD 80.2

$2.35 ฿79.5

-37.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MKD 79.6

$0.97 ฿32.82

48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 MKD 52.2

$1.60 ฿53.9

-40.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 MKD 104

$1.50 ฿50.7

25.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 MKD 46.17

$1.28 ฿43.15

-34.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 MKD 38.31

$1.10 ฿37.22

-37.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 MKD 32.38

$0.71 ฿23.84

-16.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MKD 29.32

$0.49 ฿16.38

8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 MKD 166

$4.14 ฿140

-27.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.49 MKD 248

$17.52 ฿592

-74.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 MKD 58.1

$1.61 ฿54.5

-34.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 MKD 79.7

$2.78 ฿94.0

-47.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 MKD 19.10

$0.87 ฿29.33

-59.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.88 MKD 600

$54.1 ฿1,827

-79.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 MKD 60.7

$1.16 ฿39.08

-5.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MKD 29.04

$0.53 ฿17.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 MKD 406

$2.42 ฿81.8

204.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MKD 82.0

$1.45 ฿48.93

2.76%

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

$34.1K MKD 1.9M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

62.16%

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

$26.9K MKD 1.5M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-0.27%

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

$159 MKD 8,739

$62.2 ฿2,100

155.03%

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

$17.95 MKD 989

$12.17 ฿411

47.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.25 MKD 1,061

$20.12 ฿680

-4.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.9 MKD 3,851

$37.31 ฿1,260

87.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.12 MKD 999

$3.77 ฿127

380.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.41 MKD 298

$6.49 ฿219

-16.64%

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

$222 MKD 12.2K

$736 ฿24.9K

-69.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,175 MKD 119.9K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-85.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 MKD 3,556

$53.4 ฿1,802

20.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.99 MKD 2,039

$24.64 ฿832

50.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MKD 5,722

$91.5 ฿3,089

13.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 MKD 6,108

$71.9 ฿2,429

54.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 MKD 19.3K

$482 ฿16.3K

-27.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 MKD 15.1K

$309 ฿10.4K

-11.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 MKD 32.1K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-42.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MKD 26.6K

$633 ฿21.4K

-23.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,231 MKD 67.9K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-47.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,104 MKD 60.9K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-30.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$861 MKD 47.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

45.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.75

5.57

-32.68%

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

Last update for Tetovo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tetovo

$273 27.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 13.1% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tetovo

$196 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 51.7% $101

Groceries & Markets

Tetovo

$170 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 37.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Tetovo

$142 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 23.6% $34

Eating Out

Tetovo

$119 12%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 35% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Tetovo

$81 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 37.7% $30

Getting Around

Tetovo

$16 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 284% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $351 in Tetovo 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.

Salaries run about 46% higher in Tetovo. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Tetovo versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $170 in Tetovo vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Tetovo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Tetovo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

04:10 4:10 AM

6 h ahead of Tetovo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,000

127,240

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.81 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.12 MKD (100 MKD = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.36 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tetovo Chiang Mai 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tetovo
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

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

Tetovo costs about 7% 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 $1,496 per month in Tetovo 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 Tetovo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $351 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $222 per month in Tetovo and $736 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 27% cheaper in Tetovo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $997 in Tetovo and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $997 in Tetovo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tetovo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.