Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Hidd and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,782 in Al Hidd, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Al Hidd
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Al Hidd Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Al Hidd

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,782

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,782 in Al Hidd versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Al Hidd $1,782
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,129 in Al Hidd versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Al Hidd $2,129
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,477 in Al Hidd versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Al Hidd $2,477
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Al Hidd is roughly 90% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al Hidd is 32% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.28 BHD 1.99

$2.13 ฿71.4

147.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.33 BHD 15.21

$18.62 ฿623

116.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.74 BHD 2.92

$5.60 ฿187

38.21%

Cappuccino

$3.69 BHD 1.39

$1.66 ฿55.6

122.29%

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

$0.79 BHD 0.30

$0.65 ฿21.63

21.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 BHD 0.04

$0.30 ฿10.20

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.80 BHD 2.57

$2.32 ฿77.7

193.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.68 BHD 3.65

$3.67 ฿123

163.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 BHD 0.54

$2.02 ฿67.4

-29.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 BHD 0.40

$1.41 ฿47.08

-25.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 BHD 0.86

$1.39 ฿46.54

64.03%

Eggs

$2.23 BHD 0.84

$2.37 ฿79.2

-5.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 BHD 3.23

$16.52 ฿552

-48.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.19 BHD 1.96

$2.67 ฿89.3

94.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.40 BHD 2.04

$9.02 ฿302

-40.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 BHD 0.92

$2.40 ฿80.2

1.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 BHD 0.83

$1.04 ฿34.82

110.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 BHD 0.71

$1.66 ฿55.5

12.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 BHD 0.60

$1.56 ฿52.1

1.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 BHD 0.38

$1.24 ฿41.39

-18.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 BHD 0.53

$1.09 ฿36.34

29.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 BHD 0.58

$0.76 ฿25.47

102.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 BHD 0.30

$0.51 ฿17.19

56.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 BHD 2.04

$4.12 ฿138

31.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.27 BHD 6.89

$17.93 ฿600

1.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 BHD 1.34

$1.62 ฿54.3

119.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 BHD 1.03

$2.82 ฿94.4

-3.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 BHD 0.60

$0.93 ฿31.25

69.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.8 BHD 19.90

$52.9 ฿1,769

-0.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.21 BHD 1.97

$1.18 ฿39.35

341.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.51 BHD 1.32

$0.17 ฿5.73

1964.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.16 BHD 6.10

$1.81 ฿60.6

792.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 BHD 0.23

$1.47 ฿49.25

-57.82%

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

$20.0K BHD 7,558

$21.0K ฿702.6K

-4.61%

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

$19.6K BHD 7,383

$26.5K ฿886.7K

-26.16%

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

$151 BHD 57.0

$62.6 ฿2,092

141.58%

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

$24.34 BHD 9.18

$11.60 ฿388

109.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.15 BHD 13.26

$20.30 ฿679

73.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$53.5 BHD 20.16

$3.70 ฿124

1345.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 BHD 3.94

$6.51 ฿218

60.52%

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

$623 BHD 235

$727 ฿24.3K

-14.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K BHD 4,342

$16.6K ฿554.2K

-30.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 BHD 19.17

$53.5 ฿1,790

-5.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 BHD 21.31

$24.80 ฿829

127.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 BHD 32.80

$90.4 ฿3,023

-3.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 BHD 34.19

$72.0 ฿2,407

25.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$675 BHD 255

$481 ฿16.1K

40.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$941 BHD 355

$310 ฿10.4K

203.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 BHD 298

$1,058 ฿35.4K

-25.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 BHD 252

$659 ฿22.0K

1.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,954 BHD 737

$595 ฿19.9K

228.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

5.57

11.49%

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

Last update for Al Hidd: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Hidd

$941 52.8%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 67.1% $631

Groceries & Markets

Al Hidd

$233 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 1.7% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Hidd

$211 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.1% $116

Eating Out

Al Hidd

$167 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 54.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Al Hidd

$128 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 15.5% $20

Getting Around

Al Hidd

$82 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 28.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Al Hidd

$21 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 144% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $675 in Al Hidd and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Hidd pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Al Hidd vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $233 vs $237, with Al Hidd cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Al Hidd

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

19:04 7:04 PM

4 h ahead of Al Hidd

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,797

127,240

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BHD – Bahraini Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇭 Bahraini Dinar (.د.ب)

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Al Hidd Chiang Mai 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Al Hidd
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

Al Hidd vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Al Hidd is about 3.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $675 in Al Hidd versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $40 in Al Hidd. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $623 in Al Hidd versus $727 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Al Hidd and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Al Hidd on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.