Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Hat Yai

For one person, living is cheaper in Hat Yai: $731 a month against $1,236 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,236
/mo nomad
Hat Yai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$731
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Hat Yai

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 Hat Yai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,236 per month in Bali vs $731 in Hat Yai, rent included.

  • Bali $1,236
  • Hat Yai $731

A couple spends around $2,086 per month in Bali vs $1,300 in Hat Yai, rent included.

  • Bali $2,086
  • Hat Yai $1,300

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Bali vs $1,870 in Hat Yai, rent included.

  • Bali $2,937
  • Hat Yai $1,870

Bali costs about 69% more than Hat Yai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Hat Yai are more affordable than the global median – Bali 8% lower, Hat Yai 46% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bali
Hat Yai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.76 Rp 49.7K
$2.90 ฿96.9
-4.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.80 Rp 536.4K
$43.67 ฿1,460
-31.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.63 Rp 83.3K
$3.66 ฿122
26.50%
Cappuccino
$2.32 Rp 41.7K
$2.88 ฿96.3
-19.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 Rp 25.1K
$1.33 ฿44.34
5.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.5K
$0.56 ฿18.60
14.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 Rp 39.4K
$1.80 ฿60.1
21.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.58 Rp 64.5K
$3.46 ฿116
3.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bali
Hat Yai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 26.7K
$1.45 ฿48.55
2.76%
White Bread (500g)
$2.21 Rp 39.8K
$1.25 ฿41.68
76.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.17 Rp 21.1K
$1.24 ฿41.28
-5.65%
Eggs
$2.02 Rp 36.4K
$2.51 ฿83.9
-19.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.52 Rp 297.4K
$22.15 ฿740
-25.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.68 Rp 66.2K
$2.24 ฿74.7
64.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.67 Rp 210.0K
$11.19 ฿374
4.29%
Apples (1kg)
$3.44 Rp 62.0K
$2.54 ฿84.8
35.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 26.2K
$1.38 ฿46.10
5.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.3K
$1.89 ฿63.3
18.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.82 Rp 32.8K
$1.80 ฿60.3
1.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 Rp 32.2K
$1.46 ฿48.94
22.60%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 Rp 40.9K
$1.03 ฿34.38
120.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.8K
$1.07 ฿35.74
-7.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,186
$0.41 ฿13.57
24.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.15 Rp 38.7K
$4.36 ฿146
-50.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.44 Rp 386.0K
$15.03 ฿502
42.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$1.77 ฿59.2
29.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 Rp 51.5K
$1.99 ฿66.4
43.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Bali
Hat Yai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 Rp 4,713
$0.57 ฿18.98
-54.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.97 Rp 143.5K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,646
$1.25 ฿41.71
-61.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,705
$1.13 ฿37.78
-61.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.64 Rp 101.6K
$4.94 ฿165
14.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 14.8K
$1.29 ฿43.15
-36.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.7K Rp 426.6M
$18.9K ฿630.6K
25.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 571.3M
$45.1K ฿1.5M
-29.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
Hat Yai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.3 Rp 1.5M
$84.4 ฿2,819
-3.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.53 Rp 117.6K
$11.75 ฿393
-44.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.31 Rp 329.7K
$9.65 ฿322
89.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bali
Hat Yai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.85 Rp 843.4K
$48.45 ฿1,619
-3.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.05 Rp 270.8K
$14.10 ฿471
6.74%
Cinema Ticket
$3.69 Rp 66.5K
$7.19 ฿240
-48.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bali
Hat Yai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$445 Rp 8.0M
$562 ฿18.8K
-20.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,218 Rp 93.9M
$10.7K ฿357.3K
-51.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bali
Hat Yai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.66 Rp 767.8K
$37.54 ฿1,255
13.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.40 Rp 601.2K
$26.26 ฿878
27.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 Rp 1.4M
$70.9 ฿2,369
5.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.7 Rp 1.3M
$97.3 ฿3,250
-24.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bali
Hat Yai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$996 Rp 17.9M
$270 ฿9,010
269.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$596 Rp 10.7M
$107 ฿3,576
457.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,054 Rp 55.0M
$729 ฿24.4K
318.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,511 Rp 27.2M
$397 ฿13.3K
280.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,430 Rp 43.7M
$1,915 ฿64.0K
26.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,963 Rp 35.3M
$1,584 ฿52.9K
23.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bali
Hat Yai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$220 Rp 4.0M
$452 ฿15.1K
-51.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
6.36
116.67%

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

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hat Yai: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bali
$596
Hat Yai
$107 82% $489
Groceries & Markets
Bali
$277
Hat Yai
$249 9.9% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bali
$106
Hat Yai
$106 0.4% $0.4
Clothing & Footwear
Bali
$101
Hat Yai
$104 3.2% $3.2
Eating Out
Bali
$90
Hat Yai
$92 2.5% $2.2
Sport & Entertainment
Bali
$54
Hat Yai
$63 15.9% $8.6
Getting Around
Bali
$12
Hat Yai
$9.2 * 21.2% $2.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $996 in Bali versus $270 in Hat Yai. 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 105% higher in Hat Yai, 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 $44.00 in Hat Yai. Groceries tell a different story – $277 in Bali vs $249 in Hat Yai – so Hat Yai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bali
🇹🇭 Hat Yai
🕒 Local time
06:30 6:30 AM
05:30 5:30 AM
1 h behind Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
156,802
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bali Hat Yai 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bali
  • Hat Yai

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 Hat Yai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bali or Hat Yai?
Bali costs about 69% more than Hat Yai, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bali and in Hat Yai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,854 per month in Bali and $1,096 in Hat Yai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bali or Hat Yai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Hat Yai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Bali compared to Hat Yai?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,236 in Bali and $731 in Hat Yai. That's a gap of about 69%.
How do childcare costs compare in Bali and in Hat Yai?
Kindergarten costs $445 per month in Bali and $562 in Hat Yai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Bali or in Hat Yai?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hat Yai, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Bali at $1,236. In Hat Yai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bali or Hat Yai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hat Yai costs $731 versus $1,236 in Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Bali compared to Hat Yai?
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.
Should I move to Bali or to Hat Yai?
If budget matters most, go with Hat Yai. 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.

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