Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tivat and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,651 in Tivat, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tivat
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Tivat Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tivat

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,651

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,651 per month in Tivat vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tivat $1,651
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,494 per month in Tivat vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tivat $2,494
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,338 per month in Tivat vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tivat $3,338
Chiang Mai $1,903

Tivat costs about 78% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tivat sits 22% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.18 €9.95

$2.29 ฿76.5

388.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.70 €40.65

$19.64 ฿656

132.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 €9.66

$5.61 ฿188

93.58%

Cappuccino

$2.21 €1.97

$1.66 ฿55.6

33.13%

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

$2.58 €2.30

$0.70 ฿23.40

268.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$0.31 ฿10.24

351.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 €2.82

$2.41 ฿80.4

31.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.94

$3.71 ฿124

-10.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.14

$1.95 ฿65.3

-33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.41 ฿47.03

-22.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.31 ฿43.62

48.09%

Eggs

$3.36 €2.99

$2.18 ฿72.9

54.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 €7.93

$16.65 ฿556

-46.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 €7.18

$2.76 ฿92.2

192.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.30 €10.94

$9.11 ฿304

35.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.39 ฿80.0

-32.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.03 ฿34.26

63.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.63 ฿54.4

6.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$1.50 ฿50.0

92.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.29 ฿43.13

-28.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.11 ฿37.03

0.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.48

$0.72 ฿24.08

131.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.53 ฿17.59

67.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 €3.86

$4.31 ฿144

0.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.94

$17.95 ฿600

-69.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.58 ฿52.9

-31.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$2.84 ฿95.0

-40.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.86 ฿28.86

98.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.50 €35.14

$53.3 ฿1,780

-25.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.21 ฿40.29

-5.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.57 ฿18.99

101.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.35 €10.10

$2.35 ฿78.6

382.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.44 ฿47.96

24.31%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

33.94%

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

$25.6K €22.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-4.51%

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

$127 €113

$62.3 ฿2,083

104.32%

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

$15.03 €13.37

$12.11 ฿405

24.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.55 €29.84

$19.94 ฿666

68.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.87 €41.69

$37.07 ฿1,239

26.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.38 €13.68

$3.78 ฿126

306.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.00 €5.33

$6.50 ฿217

-7.69%

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

$407 €362

$793 ฿26.5K

-48.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,455 €6,632

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-49.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.4

$53.7 ฿1,796

61.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.46 €35.10

$24.62 ฿823

60.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 €87.0

$90.9 ฿3,036

7.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €92.4

$71.1 ฿2,378

46.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$884 €786

$455 ฿15.2K

94.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$797 €709

$298 ฿9,954

167.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,996 €1,775

$908 ฿30.4K

119.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 €1,275

$554 ฿18.5K

158.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,841 €5,196

$1,931 ฿64.5K

202.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,688 €2,391

$1,445 ฿48.3K

86.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,214 €1,080

$591 ฿19.7K

105.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.38

5.57

-3.41%

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

Last update for Tivat: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tivat

$797 48.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 62.6% $499

Groceries & Markets

Tivat

$231 14%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 2.1% $4.8

Eating Out

Tivat

$187 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 58% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tivat

$176 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 46.4% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Tivat

$148 9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 26.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Tivat

$59 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 15% $8.8

Getting Around

Tivat

$53 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 14.2% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $884 in Tivat 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 106% higher in Tivat, 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 $46.00 in Tivat versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $231 in Tivat vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Tivat wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Tivat

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:47 10:47 AM

15:47 3:47 PM

5 h ahead of Tivat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,500

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

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Between locations

Tivat Chiang Mai 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tivat
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

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

Tivat costs about 78% 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 $2,476 per month in Tivat 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 $407 per month in Tivat 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 2% cheaper in Tivat – 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 Tivat at $1,651. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tivat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,651 in Tivat. 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, Tivat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.