Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Maha Sarakham

For one person, living is cheaper in Maha Sarakham: $919 a month against $1,236 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Maha Sarakham
Learn more

Maha Sarakham Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,236

/mo nomad

Maha Sarakham

🇹🇭 Thailand

$919

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali and in Maha Sarakham

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 Maha Sarakham actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,236 per month in Bali vs $919 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Bali $1,236
Maha Sarakham $919

A couple spends around $2,086 per month in Bali vs $1,507 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Bali $2,086
Maha Sarakham $1,507

A family of three spends $2,937 per month in Bali vs $2,094 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Bali $2,937
Maha Sarakham $2,094

Bali costs about 35% more than Maha Sarakham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Maha Sarakham are more affordable than the global median – Bali 8% lower, Maha Sarakham 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

$3.05 ฿102

-9.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.80 Rp 536.4K

$22.47 ฿751

32.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 Rp 83.3K

$7.08 ฿237

-34.60%

Cappuccino

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

$2.12 ฿71.0

9.43%

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

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

$0.73 ฿24.23

91.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

$0.33 ฿11.15

93.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$2.02 ฿67.6

8.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 Rp 64.5K

$3.04 ฿102

17.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 26.7K

$1.74 ฿58.2

-14.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

$1.39 ฿46.53

58.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

$1.35 ฿45.20

-13.33%

Eggs

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

$2.07 ฿69.1

-2.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 Rp 297.4K

$16.39 ฿548

0.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 Rp 66.2K

$2.75 ฿92.0

33.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.67 Rp 210.0K

$10.23 ฿342

14.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 Rp 62.0K

$3.03 ฿101

13.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

$1.08 ฿36.10

35.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

$2.16 ฿72.3

3.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

$1.90 ฿63.4

-4.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 Rp 32.2K

$1.49 ฿49.65

20.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$1.11 ฿37.11

104.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$1.12 ฿37.41

-11.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$0.48 ฿16.12

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 Rp 38.7K

$4.44 ฿149

-51.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.44 Rp 386.0K

$17.25 ฿577

24.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$1.70 ฿56.9

34.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

$2.78 ฿92.8

2.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,713

$0.90 ฿30.10

-71.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.97 Rp 143.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,646

$1.26 ฿42.02

-61.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,705

$1.12 ฿37.42

-61.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 Rp 101.6K

$4.93 ฿165

14.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$1.34 ฿44.74

-38.81%

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

$23.7K Rp 426.6M

$26.0K ฿869.7K

-8.94%

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

$31.7K Rp 571.3M

$26.4K ฿881.4K

20.34%

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

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

$82.5 ฿2,755

-1.37%

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

$6.53 Rp 117.6K

$11.45 ฿383

-42.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 Rp 329.7K

$19.19 ฿641

-4.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 Rp 843.4K

$47.10 ฿1,574

-0.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.05 Rp 270.8K

$13.97 ฿467

7.73%

Cinema Ticket

$3.69 Rp 66.5K

$6.63 ฿222

-44.34%

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

$445 Rp 8.0M

$563 ฿18.8K

-20.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,218 Rp 93.9M

$10.7K ฿357.3K

-51.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.66 Rp 767.8K

$51.3 ฿1,715

-16.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 Rp 601.2K

$29.17 ฿975

14.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$78.1 ฿2,610

-3.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.7 Rp 1.3M

$76.8 ฿2,565

-3.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$996 Rp 17.9M

$441 ฿14.7K

125.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 Rp 10.7M

$293 ฿9,807

103.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 Rp 55.0M

$1,382 ฿46.2K

120.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 Rp 27.2M

$740 ฿24.7K

104.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 Rp 43.7M

$1,901 ฿63.5K

27.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,963 Rp 35.3M

$1,610 ฿53.8K

21.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$220 Rp 4.0M

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 Maha Sarakham: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$596 48.2%

Maha Sarakham

$293 31.9% 50.8% $303

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$277 22.4%

Maha Sarakham

$244 26.6% 11.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$106 8.6%

Maha Sarakham

$113 12.3% 6.5% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.2%

Maha Sarakham

$106 11.5% 4.7% $4.7

Eating Out

Bali

$90 7.3%

Maha Sarakham

$92 10% 1.7% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$54 4.4%

Maha Sarakham

$60 6.6% 11.3% $6.1

Getting Around

Bali

$12 0.9%

Maha Sarakham

$10 * 1.1% 10.1% $1.2

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 $441 in Maha Sarakham. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Bali versus $22.00 in Maha Sarakham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $244 – making Maha Sarakham the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇹🇭 Maha Sarakham

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

1 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,523

💱 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 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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Maha Sarakham 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bali
Maha Sarakham

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 Maha Sarakham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 35% more than Maha Sarakham, 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 $1,378 in Maha Sarakham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,236 in Bali and $919 in Maha Sarakham. That's a gap of about 35%.

Kindergarten costs $445 per month in Bali and $563 in Maha Sarakham. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Maha Sarakham, where all-in costs run around $919, than in Bali at $1,236. In Maha Sarakham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Maha Sarakham costs $919 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 Maha Sarakham. 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.