Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between 'ali and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in 'ali: $818 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

40

Cost of Living Index in 'ali
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'ali Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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'ali

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$818

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $818 per month in 'ali vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

'ali $818
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,299 per month in 'ali vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

'ali $1,299
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,779 per month in 'ali vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

'ali $1,779
Chiang Mai $1,914

'ali is about 13% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both 'ali and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – 'ali 39% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.36 BHD 2.02

$2.26 ฿75.7

137.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.3 BHD 20.13

$19.18 ฿644

178.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.44 BHD 2.81

$5.59 ฿188

33.09%

Cappuccino

$5.01 BHD 1.89

$1.72 ฿57.9

191.28%

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

$0.90 BHD 0.34

$0.64 ฿21.63

40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 BHD 0.11

$0.33 ฿11.23

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 BHD 2.54

$2.36 ฿79.1

185.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.18 BHD 3.84

$3.90 ฿131

161.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 BHD 0.54

$2.05 ฿68.9

-30.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 BHD 0.40

$1.40 ฿46.90

-23.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 BHD 0.85

$1.28 ฿43.07

76.56%

Eggs

$2.22 BHD 0.84

$2.25 ฿75.6

-1.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 BHD 3.26

$16.94 ฿569

-49.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.45 BHD 2.44

$2.74 ฿92.0

135.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 BHD 3.34

$9.36 ฿314

-5.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 BHD 0.87

$2.40 ฿80.6

-4.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 BHD 0.87

$1.01 ฿34.06

128.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 BHD 0.73

$1.61 ฿54.1

19.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 BHD 0.53

$1.52 ฿51.0

-7.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BHD 0.39

$1.28 ฿43.08

-18.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 BHD 0.51

$1.11 ฿37.38

21.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 BHD 0.57

$0.72 ฿24.19

108.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 BHD 0.30

$0.52 ฿17.61

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.32 BHD 2.01

$4.33 ฿145

22.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.80 BHD 7.10

$17.73 ฿595

6.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.61 BHD 1.36

$1.63 ฿54.7

121.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 BHD 0.97

$2.85 ฿95.7

-9.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.43

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,809

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 BHD 2.05

$1.17 ฿39.34

363.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 BHD 1.31

$0.57 ฿19.08

507.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.80 BHD 5.96

$2.37 ฿79.5

566.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.70 BHD 0.26

$1.45 ฿48.52

-51.72%

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

$36.7K BHD 13.9K

$20.5K ฿687.1K

79.31%

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

$20.1K BHD 7,592

$26.5K ฿889.8K

-24.13%

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

$151 BHD 57.0

$62.3 ฿2,092

142.08%

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

$24.17 BHD 9.12

$12.27 ฿412

96.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.75 BHD 13.49

$19.97 ฿670

79.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$10.67 BHD 4.03

$6.71 ฿225

59.02%

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

$495 BHD 187

$797 ฿26.8K

-37.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K BHD 4,228

$14.8K ฿497.8K

-24.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 BHD 19.58

$53.3 ฿1,787

-2.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 BHD 21.62

$25.05 ฿841

128.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 BHD 33.66

$91.6 ฿3,075

-2.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 BHD 33.67

$73.5 ฿2,465

21.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿64.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,823 BHD 1,443

$595 ฿20.0K

542.27%

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 'ali: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

'ali

$250 30.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 4.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

'ali

$211 25.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 55.1% $116

Eating Out

'ali

$184 22.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 57.1% $105

Clothing & Footwear

'ali

$129 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 15.4% $20

Getting Around

'ali

$23 * 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 170% $39

Sport & Entertainment

'ali

$21 * 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 141% $30

Accommodation & Living

'ali

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 542% higher in 'ali, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in 'ali versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇭 'ali

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

01:29 1:29 AM

4 h ahead of 'ali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,553

127,240

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.421 BHD (1 BHD = 2.37 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.56 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.46 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

'ali Chiang Mai 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

'ali
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

'ali vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,227 per month in 'ali and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in 'ali and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in 'ali, where all-in costs run around $818, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In 'ali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward 'ali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 'ali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.