Cost of Living Comparison Between Balga and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Balga and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Balga is 66% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 158.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Balga is 74.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 136.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Balga
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.31 A$24.98
$2.02 ฿65.3
707.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.8 A$118
$18.78 ฿608
308.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.49 A$16.08
$7.67 ฿248
36.77%
Cappuccino
$3.58 A$5.48
$1.98 ฿64.2
80.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.5 A$3.82
$0.82 ฿26.64
204.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 A$2.95
$0.33 ฿10.58
484.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.98 A$12.22
$2.12 ฿68.6
276.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.53 A$10.01
$3.73 ฿121
75.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Balga
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 A$2.13
$1.64 ฿53.2
-15.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 A$3.58
$1.57 ฿50.9
48.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 A$2.98
$1.19 ฿38.62
63.03%
Eggs
$4.61 A$7.06
$1.98 ฿64.1
132.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.49 A$13.01
$15.99 ฿517
-46.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.56 A$13.11
$3.12 ฿101
174.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 A$21.43
$11.16 ฿361
25.36%
Apples (1kg)
$3.39 A$5.2
$2.76 ฿89.2
22.83%
Banana (1kg)
$3.04 A$4.66
$1.22 ฿39.5
149.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.92 A$4.47
$1.71 ฿55.4
70.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.56 A$6.99
$1.55 ฿50.2
194.19%
Potato (1kg)
$2.46 A$3.77
$1.34 ฿43.21
83.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 A$2.72
$1.21 ฿39.23
47.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.98 A$3.03
$0.72 ฿23.2
175.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.49 A$2.28
$0.53 ฿17.05
181.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.17 A$49.29
$4.72 ฿153
581.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.06 A$15.41
$18.39 ฿595
-45.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.81 A$5.84
$1.79 ฿57.9
112.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.22 A$6.47
$3.21 ฿104
31.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Balga
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.58 A$3.95
$0.94 ฿30.44
174.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.6 A$99
$18.9 ฿612
241.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.07 A$6.23
$1.42 ฿46.08
186.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.19 A$3.35
$1.35 ฿43.53
62.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$50.3 A$77.1
$7.85 ฿254
541.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 A$1.71
$1.25 ฿40.4
-10.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.5K A$43.6K
$21.2K ฿684.9K
34.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K A$37.9K
$21.8K ฿706.8K
13.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Balga
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$157 A$241
$70.6 ฿2,285
122.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.88 A$42.72
$13.72 ฿444
103.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.8 A$85.5
$17.56 ฿568
217.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Balga
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.63 A$76
$41.64 ฿1,347
19.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.6 A$23.9
$6.9 ฿223
126.09%
Cinema Ticket
$16.42 A$25.16
$5.8 ฿188
183.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Balga
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,806 A$2,767
$308 ฿9,963
486.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K A$18.2K
$14.7K ฿475.8K
-19.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Balga
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.1 A$106
$55.4 ฿1,793
24.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.25 A$72.4
$26.4 ฿854
78.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 A$154
$85.1 ฿2,755
18.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 A$163
$71.8 ฿2,323
48.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Balga
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,240 A$1,899
$434 ฿14K
185.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,085 A$1,663
$235 ฿7,610
361.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 A$3,037
$821 ฿26.6K
141.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,687 A$2,585
$498 ฿16.1K
238.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,994 A$7,650
$2,180 ฿70.6K
129.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,597 A$7,043
$1,543 ฿49.9K
197.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Balga
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,102 A$4,752
$703 ฿22.8K
340.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.42
5
28.40%

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

Last update for Balga: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.