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

😐 Solo nomad: Ballina is 98.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 162.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Ballina is 71.8% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 137.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.38 A$25.09
$2.02 ฿65.3
710.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.3 A$121
$18.78 ฿608
321.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.75 A$14.94
$7.67 ฿248
27.12%
Cappuccino
$3.35 A$5.12
$1.98 ฿64.2
69.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 A$3.96
$0.82 ฿26.64
214.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 A$3.33
$0.33 ฿10.58
557.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.34 A$9.71
$2.12 ฿68.6
199.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.1 A$10.88
$3.73 ฿121
90.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.38 A$3.64
$1.64 ฿53.2
45.12%
White Bread (500g)
$3.07 A$4.71
$1.57 ฿50.9
95.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 A$3
$1.19 ฿38.62
64.71%
Eggs
$5.42 A$8.3
$1.98 ฿64.1
173.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.99 A$9.18
$15.99 ฿517
-62.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.3 A$12.71
$3.12 ฿101
166.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.7 A$20.98
$11.16 ฿361
22.76%
Apples (1kg)
$3.3 A$5.05
$2.76 ฿89.2
19.57%
Banana (1kg)
$2.8 A$4.29
$1.22 ฿39.5
129.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.88 A$4.41
$1.71 ฿55.4
68.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.31 A$5.07
$1.55 ฿50.2
113.55%
Potato (1kg)
$2.39 A$3.66
$1.34 ฿43.21
78.36%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 A$3.32
$1.21 ฿39.23
79.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.15 A$4.83
$0.72 ฿23.2
337.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 A$2.35
$0.53 ฿17.05
190.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$30.7 A$47.03
$4.72 ฿153
550.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.11 A$20.08
$18.39 ฿595
-28.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.56 A$6.98
$1.79 ฿57.9
154.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.27 A$8.07
$3.21 ฿104
64.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.67 A$4.09
$0.94 ฿30.44
184.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.2 A$99.9
$18.9 ฿612
245.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.67 A$5.62
$1.42 ฿46.08
158.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 A$2.38
$1.35 ฿43.53
14.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.89 A$51.9
$7.85 ฿254
331.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 A$1.73
$1.25 ฿40.4
-9.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.5K A$43.7K
$21.2K ฿684.9K
34.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K A$34.4K
$21.8K ฿706.8K
2.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 A$276
$70.6 ฿2,285
154.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.57 A$42.24
$13.72 ฿444
100.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.7 A$80.7
$17.56 ฿568
199.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.42 A$75.7
$41.64 ฿1,347
18.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.58 A$23.86
$6.9 ฿223
125.80%
Cinema Ticket
$13.09 A$20.06
$5.8 ฿188
125.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,606 A$2,460
$308 ฿9,963
421.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K A$18.6K
$14.7K ฿475.8K
-17.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.8 A$102
$55.4 ฿1,793
20.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.56 A$75.9
$26.4 ฿854
87.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 A$154
$85.1 ฿2,755
18.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 A$163
$71.8 ฿2,323
48.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,255 A$1,923
$434 ฿14K
189.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,046 A$1,602
$235 ฿7,610
344.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,986 A$3,042
$821 ฿26.6K
141.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 A$2,565
$498 ฿16.1K
236.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,199 A$7,965
$2,180 ฿70.6K
138.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,011 A$7,678
$1,543 ฿49.9K
224.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$703 ฿22.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.34
5
26.80%

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

Last update for Ballina: October 27, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

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