Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,772 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,772

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,772 per month in Zagreb vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zagreb $1,772
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,619 per month in Zagreb vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zagreb $2,619
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Zagreb vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zagreb $3,467
Chiang Mai $1,979

Zagreb costs about 89% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zagreb sits 30% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.33 €11.08

$2.24 ฿75.7

450.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 €57.5

$19.00 ฿642

236.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 €7.20

$5.55 ฿188

44.32%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.25

$1.67 ฿56.6

49.70%

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

$3.09 €2.77

$0.64 ฿21.56

382.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.35

$0.31 ฿10.32

745.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.07

$2.36 ฿79.6

44.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.05

$3.66 ฿124

23.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.95 ฿65.8

-34.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.44 ฿48.51

11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 €2.41

$1.33 ฿45.07

101.50%

Eggs

$3.95 €3.55

$2.28 ฿77.1

73.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 €13.10

$16.45 ฿556

-11.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 €10.30

$2.78 ฿94.0

312.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 €15.59

$9.31 ฿314

86.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.35 ฿79.5

-1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.48

$0.97 ฿32.82

70.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.60 ฿53.9

36.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$1.50 ฿50.7

70.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.28 ฿43.15

6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.10 ฿37.22

9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$0.71 ฿23.84

67.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$0.49 ฿16.38

163.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 €5.46

$4.14 ฿140

46.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 €9.94

$17.52 ฿592

-36.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.61 ฿54.5

4.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.78 ฿94.0

-11.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.87 ฿29.33

-34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 €47.83

$54.1 ฿1,827

-1.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.16 ฿39.08

87.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$0.53 ฿17.82

171.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 €11.13

$2.42 ฿81.8

411.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.45 ฿48.93

31.03%

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

$27.9K €25.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

32.61%

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

$26.0K €23.4K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-3.44%

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

$215 €193

$62.2 ฿2,100

245.73%

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

$22.34 €20.07

$12.17 ฿411

83.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.73 €34.80

$20.12 ฿680

92.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.65 €43.71

$37.31 ฿1,260

30.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.95 €17.02

$3.77 ฿127

402.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 €9.35

$6.49 ฿219

60.40%

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

$499 €448

$736 ฿24.9K

-32.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,720 €8,733

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-34.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.6

$53.4 ฿1,802

103.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.23 €37.94

$24.64 ฿832

71.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.9

$91.5 ฿3,089

11.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €99.3

$71.9 ฿2,429

53.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$888 €798

$482 ฿16.3K

84.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 €614

$309 ฿10.4K

121.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,319

$1,006 ฿34.0K

45.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 €958

$633 ฿21.4K

68.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,275 €4,740

$2,363 ฿79.8K

123.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,670 €3,297

$1,589 ฿53.7K

130.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,975 €1,774

$590 ฿19.9K

234.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

5.57

-40.75%

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

Last update for Zagreb: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zagreb

$683 38.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 54.8% $374

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$314 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 25.2% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$276 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 65.8% $182

Eating Out

Zagreb

$202 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 61.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$164 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 33.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$69 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.6% $19

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 5.4% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $888 in Zagreb 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 Zagreb are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Zagreb versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:07 3:07 PM

21:07 9:07 PM

6 h ahead of Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Zagreb Chiang Mai 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Zagreb
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

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

Zagreb costs about 89% 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 $2,658 per month in Zagreb 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 $888 in Zagreb.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Zagreb and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Zagreb, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,772 in Zagreb 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 $1,772 in Zagreb. 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, Zagreb makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.