Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Chiang Rai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Rai: $710 a month against $1,236 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
Learn more

Bali Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Rai
Learn more

Chiang Rai Living Index

Jump to prices

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,236

/mo nomad

Chiang Rai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Chiang Rai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bali and in Chiang Rai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,236 per month in Bali vs $710 in Chiang Rai, rent included.

Bali $1,236
Chiang Rai $710

A couple spends around $2,086 per month in Bali vs $1,133 in Chiang Rai, rent included.

Bali $2,086
Chiang Rai $1,133

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Bali vs $1,556 in Chiang Rai, rent included.

Bali $2,937
Chiang Rai $1,556

Bali costs about 74% more than Chiang Rai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Chiang Rai are more affordable than the global median – Bali 8% lower, Chiang Rai 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

$2.19 ฿73.1

26.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.80 Rp 536.4K

$15.08 ฿504

97.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 Rp 83.3K

$5.47 ฿183

-15.36%

Cappuccino

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

$1.32 ฿44.11

75.76%

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

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

$0.64 ฿21.44

118.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

$0.27 ฿8.97

137.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$1.60 ฿53.5

36.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 Rp 64.5K

$3.65 ฿122

-1.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 26.7K

$1.99 ฿66.4

-25.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

$1.45 ฿48.49

52.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

$1.16 ฿38.71

0.86%

Eggs

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

$1.91 ฿63.7

5.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 Rp 297.4K

$16.63 ฿556

-0.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 Rp 66.2K

$2.79 ฿93.3

31.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.67 Rp 210.0K

$9.06 ฿303

28.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 Rp 62.0K

$2.40 ฿80.1

43.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

$0.86 ฿28.60

69.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

$1.57 ฿52.4

42.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

$0.93 ฿31.22

95.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 Rp 32.2K

$1.22 ฿40.89

46.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$1.06 ฿35.52

114.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$0.77 ฿25.83

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$0.52 ฿17.44

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 Rp 38.7K

$3.77 ฿126

-42.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.44 Rp 386.0K

$18.03 ฿603

18.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$1.58 ฿52.7

44.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

$2.75 ฿92.0

4.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,713

$0.84 ฿28.01

-69.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.97 Rp 143.5K

$22.09 ฿738

-63.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,646

$1.22 ฿40.68

-60.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,705

$0.53 ฿17.76

-18.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 Rp 101.6K

$2.42 ฿80.8

133.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$1.34 ฿44.94

-38.81%

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

$23.7K Rp 426.6M

$21.0K ฿702.0K

12.81%

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

$31.7K Rp 571.3M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

18.42%

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

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

$61.2 ฿2,046

32.81%

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

$6.53 Rp 117.6K

$12.51 ฿418

-47.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 Rp 329.7K

$13.60 ฿455

34.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 Rp 843.4K

$35.64 ฿1,191

31.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.05 Rp 270.8K

$5.85 ฿196

157.26%

Cinema Ticket

$3.69 Rp 66.5K

$2.95 ฿98.5

25.08%

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

$445 Rp 8.0M

$783 ฿26.2K

-43.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,218 Rp 93.9M

$14.7K ฿492.1K

-64.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.66 Rp 767.8K

$55.3 ฿1,849

-22.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 Rp 601.2K

$24.42 ฿816

36.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$75.7 ฿2,530

-0.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.7 Rp 1.3M

$71.6 ฿2,393

2.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$996 Rp 17.9M

$228 ฿7,613

337.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 Rp 10.7M

$151 ฿5,047

294.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 Rp 55.0M

$509 ฿17.0K

499.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 Rp 27.2M

$359 ฿12.0K

321.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 Rp 43.7M

$1,911 ฿63.9K

27.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 Rp 35.3M

$967 ฿32.3K

102.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$220 Rp 4.0M

$583 ฿19.5K

-62.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.57

147.40%

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

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Rai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$596 48.2%

Chiang Rai

$151 21.3% 74.7% $445

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$277 22.4%

Chiang Rai

$230 32.4% 16.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$106 8.6%

Chiang Rai

$87 12.3% 17.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.2%

Chiang Rai

$102 14.4% 1% $1

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.3%

Chiang Rai

$69 9.7% 23.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$54 4.4%

Chiang Rai

$42 5.9% 23.4% $13

Getting Around

Bali

$12 0.9%

Chiang Rai

$29 4.1% 152% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $996 in Bali versus $228 in Chiang Rai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 165% higher in Chiang Rai, 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 $30.00 in Bali versus $15.00 in Chiang Rai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $230 – making Chiang Rai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇹🇭 Chiang Rai

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

10:50 10:50 AM

1 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,672

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Chiang Rai 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Chiang Rai

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

Bali vs Chiang Rai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 74% more than Chiang Rai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,854 per month in Bali and $1,066 in Chiang Rai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Rai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bali and $15.00 in Chiang Rai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,236 in Bali and $710 in Chiang Rai. That's a gap of about 74%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Rai, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Bali at $1,236. In Chiang Rai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Rai costs $710 versus $1,236 in Bali. 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 Rai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.