Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Veles and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $766 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$766

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $766 per month in Veles vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Veles $766
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,137 per month in Veles vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Veles $1,137
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,507 per month in Veles vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Veles $1,507
Chiang Mai $1,979

Veles is about 18% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Veles and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Veles 44% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.78 MKD 483

$2.24 ฿75.5

291.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.09 MKD 995

$19.00 ฿640

-4.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 MKD 299

$5.55 ฿187

-2.16%

Cappuccino

$1.56 MKD 85.7

$1.67 ฿56.4

-6.59%

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

$1.33 MKD 73.3

$0.64 ฿21.51

107.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MKD 45.00

$0.31 ฿10.29

164.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 MKD 81.1

$2.36 ฿79.5

-37.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MKD 171

$3.66 ฿123

-15.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 MKD 56.6

$1.95 ฿65.7

-47.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 MKD 29.29

$1.44 ฿48.41

-63.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 MKD 83.3

$1.33 ฿44.97

13.53%

Eggs

$2.48 MKD 136

$2.28 ฿77.0

8.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.97 MKD 163

$16.45 ฿554

-81.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.93 MKD 216

$2.78 ฿93.8

41.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MKD 826

$9.31 ฿314

61.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.44 MKD 79.1

$2.35 ฿79.3

-38.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MKD 80.4

$0.97 ฿32.75

50.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 MKD 73.7

$1.60 ฿53.8

-16.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 MKD 104

$1.50 ฿50.6

26.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 MKD 49.68

$1.28 ฿43.06

-29.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 MKD 45.91

$1.10 ฿37.14

-24.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 MKD 32.73

$0.71 ฿23.79

-16.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 MKD 32.90

$0.49 ฿16.34

22.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 MKD 178

$4.14 ฿140

-21.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 MKD 342

$17.52 ฿590

-64.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 MKD 56.2

$1.61 ฿54.4

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 MKD 79.3

$2.78 ฿93.8

-48.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MKD 43.93

$0.87 ฿29.27

-8.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.73 MKD 1,306

$54.1 ฿1,823

-56.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 MKD 60.7

$1.16 ฿39.00

-5.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MKD 31.70

$0.53 ฿17.78

9.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 MKD 422

$2.42 ฿81.6

216.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MKD 76.8

$1.45 ฿48.82

-3.45%

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

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

25.86%

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

$24.8K MKD 1.4M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-7.99%

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

$108 MKD 5,963

$62.2 ฿2,095

74.34%

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

$16.80 MKD 924

$12.17 ฿410

38.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.21 MKD 672

$20.12 ฿678

-39.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.03 MKD 1,377

$37.31 ฿1,257

-32.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 MKD 980

$3.77 ฿127

372.41%

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 MKD 185

$6.49 ฿219

-48.07%

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

$214 MKD 11.8K

$736 ฿24.8K

-70.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,661 MKD 311.5K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-61.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.40 MKD 1,177

$53.4 ฿1,799

-59.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.01 MKD 991

$24.64 ฿830

-26.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 MKD 4,047

$91.5 ฿3,083

-19.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 MKD 5,977

$71.9 ฿2,424

51.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 MKD 12.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

-53.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 MKD 9,289

$309 ฿10.4K

-45.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 MKD 15.9K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-71.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 MKD 12.8K

$633 ฿21.3K

-63.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,181 MKD 65.0K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-50.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$940 MKD 51.7K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-40.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$586 MKD 32.2K

$590 ฿19.9K

-0.66%

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 Veles: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Veles

$170 22.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 37.6% $64

Accommodation & Living

Veles

$169 22%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 83% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Veles

$137 17.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 31.2% $43

Eating Out

Veles

$127 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 39.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Veles

$100 13%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 8.9% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Veles

$32 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 58.3% $19

Getting Around

Veles

$31 4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 98.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $223 in Veles 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Veles versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $170 vs $234 – making Veles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Veles

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

6 h ahead of Veles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,716

127,240

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.25 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Veles Chiang Mai 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Veles
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Veles, 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 $1,150 per month in Veles 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 Veles, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $214 per month in Veles and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Veles – 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.

For expats, Veles is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 18% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.