Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zadar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,683 in Zadar, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,683

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,683 per month in Zadar vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zadar $1,683
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,565 per month in Zadar vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zadar $2,565
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,446 per month in Zadar vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zadar $3,446
Chiang Mai $1,979

Zadar costs about 80% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zadar sits 24% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.50 €12.99

$2.24 ฿75.6

547.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 €71.4

$19.00 ฿641

319.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 €7.21

$5.55 ฿187

45.05%

Cappuccino

$2.51 €2.25

$1.67 ฿56.5

50.30%

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

$3.01 €2.70

$0.64 ฿21.54

370.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.88

$0.31 ฿10.31

577.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.08

$2.36 ฿79.5

45.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.90

$3.66 ฿124

18.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.95 ฿65.7

-39.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.44 ฿48.46

19.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 €2.69

$1.33 ฿45.03

125.56%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.51

$2.28 ฿77.1

71.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.87 €9.74

$16.45 ฿555

-33.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.63 €8.62

$2.78 ฿93.9

246.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.69 €10.47

$9.31 ฿314

25.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$2.35 ฿79.4

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$0.97 ฿32.79

62.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.60 ฿53.9

35.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$1.50 ฿50.6

71.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.28 ฿43.11

76.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.10 ฿37.18

18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$0.71 ฿23.82

85.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.49 ฿16.36

144.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.53 €4.95

$4.14 ฿140

33.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.95 €7.12

$17.52 ฿591

-54.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.61 ฿54.5

-11.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.78 ฿93.9

-48.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.62

$0.87 ฿29.30

108.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.27 €39.65

$54.1 ฿1,825

-18.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 €2.93

$1.16 ฿39.04

181.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

$0.53 ฿17.80

328.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.15 €19.83

$2.42 ฿81.7

815.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.45 ฿48.88

28.28%

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

$25.8K €23.1K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

22.42%

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

$24.5K €21.9K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-9.05%

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

$179 €160

$62.2 ฿2,098

187.44%

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

$21.76 €19.48

$12.17 ฿411

78.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.49 €35.36

$20.12 ฿679

96.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.85 €36.59

$37.31 ฿1,259

9.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 €14.81

$3.77 ฿127

338.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 €9.67

$6.49 ฿219

66.41%

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

$246 €220

$736 ฿24.8K

-66.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,722 €6,020

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-54.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €79.5

$53.4 ฿1,801

66.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.75 €32.01

$24.64 ฿831

45.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.8

$91.5 ฿3,087

12.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.0 €69.0

$71.9 ฿2,427

7.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$877 €785

$482 ฿16.3K

81.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$694 €621

$309 ฿10.4K

124.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 €1,309

$1,006 ฿33.9K

45.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,146 €1,026

$633 ฿21.4K

80.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,679 €4,191

$2,363 ฿79.7K

98.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,010 €3,591

$1,589 ฿53.6K

152.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,407 €1,260

$590 ฿19.9K

138.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

5.57

-36.45%

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

Last update for Zadar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zadar

$694 41.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 55.5% $385

Groceries & Markets

Zadar

$268 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zadar

$240 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60.6% $145

Eating Out

Zadar

$217 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 64.2% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Zadar

$137 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 20.6% $28

Getting Around

Zadar

$66 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 7.2% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Zadar

$62 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 19.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $877 in Zadar 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 in Zadar are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Zadar versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zadar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

01:23 1:23 AM

6 h ahead of Zadar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,309

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Zadar Chiang Mai 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Zadar
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

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

Zadar costs about 80% 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 $2,525 per month in Zadar 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $877 in Zadar.

Kindergarten costs $246 per month in Zadar 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 14% more in Zadar, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,683 in Zadar and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,683 in Zadar. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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