Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zabljak and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,128 in Zabljak, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Zabljak outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Zabljak
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Zabljak Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zabljak

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,128

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,128 per month in Zabljak vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zabljak $1,128
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,769 per month in Zabljak vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zabljak $1,769
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,410 per month in Zabljak vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zabljak $2,410
Chiang Mai $1,903

Zabljak costs about 22% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zabljak and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Zabljak 17% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.95 €7.08

$2.29 ฿76.5

247.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.82 €28.30

$19.64 ฿656

62.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.55 €5.82

$5.61 ฿188

16.76%

Cappuccino

$1.63 €1.45

$1.66 ฿55.6

-1.81%

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

$2.24 €2.00

$0.70 ฿23.40

220.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.31 ฿10.24

367.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 €2.66

$2.41 ฿80.4

24.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 €3.15

$3.71 ฿124

-4.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.95 ฿65.3

-34.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 €0.57

$1.41 ฿47.03

-53.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.31 ฿43.62

Eggs

$2.97 €2.64

$2.18 ฿72.9

36.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.08 €6.30

$16.65 ฿556

-57.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.22 €6.42

$2.76 ฿92.2

161.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 €10.88

$9.11 ฿304

34.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.39 ฿80.0

-44.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.03 ฿34.26

62.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.63 ฿54.4

-7.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.50 ฿50.0

-6.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 €0.58

$1.29 ฿43.13

-49.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 €0.62

$1.11 ฿37.03

-36.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.72 ฿24.08

26.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$0.53 ฿17.59

81.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 €3.57

$4.31 ฿144

-6.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$17.95 ฿600

-75.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.58 ฿52.9

-32.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.84 ฿95.0

-39.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.86 ฿28.86

89.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.55 €35.18

$53.3 ฿1,780

-25.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.21 ฿40.29

-5.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.57 ฿18.99

12.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.00 €15.12

$2.35 ฿78.6

623.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.44 ฿47.96

22.92%

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

$29.3K €26.1K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

41.44%

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

$25.6K €22.7K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-4.64%

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

$113 €101

$62.3 ฿2,083

81.65%

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

$15.02 €13.36

$12.11 ฿405

24.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.02 €19.58

$19.94 ฿666

10.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.30 €41.18

$37.07 ฿1,239

24.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.72 €13.10

$3.78 ฿126

289.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.21 €5.53

$6.50 ฿217

-4.46%

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

$392 €349

$793 ฿26.5K

-50.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,812 €8,728

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-33.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.65 €20.15

$53.7 ฿1,796

-57.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.47 €24.43

$24.62 ฿823

11.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 €48.89

$90.9 ฿3,036

-39.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.7 €60.2

$71.1 ฿2,378

-4.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 €573

$455 ฿15.2K

41.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$455 €405

$298 ฿9,954

52.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 €1,135

$908 ฿30.4K

40.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 €834

$554 ฿18.5K

69.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,956

$1,931 ฿64.5K

72.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,357 €2,097

$1,445 ฿48.3K

63.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 €713

$591 ฿19.7K

35.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.57

6.82%

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

Last update for Zabljak: 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

Zabljak

$455 40.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 34.5% $157

Groceries & Markets

Zabljak

$196 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 20% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zabljak

$150 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 37.2% $56

Eating Out

Zabljak

$140 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 43.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Zabljak

$78 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 39.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Zabljak

$59 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 14.7% $8.7

Getting Around

Zabljak

$50 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 20.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $645 in Zabljak 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 36% higher in Zabljak, 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 $32.00 in Zabljak versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $196 in Zabljak vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Zabljak wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Zabljak

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

10:50 10:50 AM

6 h ahead of Zabljak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,900

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

Zabljak Chiang Mai 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Zabljak
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

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

Zabljak costs about 22% 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 $1,692 per month in Zabljak 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 $392 per month in Zabljak 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 20% cheaper in Zabljak – 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 Zabljak at $1,128. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zabljak it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,128 in Zabljak. 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, Zabljak makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.