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

😐 Solo nomad: Ballina is 61.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 165% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Ballina is 105.8% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 144.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.46 A$23.38
$2.03 ฿64.6
710.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.4 A$110
$18.59 ฿593
316.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.77 A$13.88
$7.48 ฿238
30.61%
Cappuccino
$3.33 A$4.73
$2.00 ฿63.7
66.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 A$3.58
$0.85 ฿27.01
196.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 A$3.09
$0.35 ฿11.21
520.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.54 A$9.28
$2.21 ฿70.5
195.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.16 A$10.16
$3.76 ฿120
90.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.41 A$3.43
$1.72 ฿54.8
40.12%
White Bread (500g)
$3.18 A$4.51
$1.63 ฿52.1
95.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 A$2.79
$1.16 ฿36.93
68.97%
Eggs
$5.25 A$7.45
$1.98 ฿63.1
165.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.89 A$8.37
$15.93 ฿508
-63.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.61 A$12.22
$3.17 ฿101
171.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.60 A$19.31
$10.90 ฿348
24.77%
Apples (1kg)
$3.19 A$4.53
$2.65 ฿84.3
20.38%
Banana (1kg)
$2.83 A$4.02
$1.22 ฿38.98
131.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 A$4.13
$1.70 ฿54.1
71.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.15 A$4.48
$1.59 ฿50.7
98.11%
Potato (1kg)
$2.50 A$3.54
$1.32 ฿42.21
89.39%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 A$3.10
$1.17 ฿37.25
86.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.19 A$4.54
$0.68 ฿21.61
369.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 A$2.16
$0.56 ฿17.76
171.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$30.40 A$43.17
$4.51 ฿144
574.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.75 A$19.52
$19.07 ฿608
-27.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.63 A$6.58
$1.77 ฿56.4
161.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.19 A$7.37
$3.18 ฿101
63.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.67 A$3.79
$0.96 ฿30.70
178.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.2 A$92.6
$18.90 ฿602
245.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.64 A$5.17
$1.36 ฿43.29
167.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 A$2.30
$1.35 ฿43.11
20.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.14 A$47.06
$8.03 ฿256
312.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 A$1.63
$1.24 ฿39.62
-7.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.9K A$41.1K
$21.2K ฿674.7K
36.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K A$31.9K
$21.8K ฿693.5K
3.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 A$260
$71.2 ฿2,271
156.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.31 A$38.78
$14.09 ฿449
93.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.4 A$74.5
$17.47 ฿557
200.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.90 A$68.0
$42.07 ฿1,341
13.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.45 A$21.94
$6.88 ฿219
124.56%
Cinema Ticket
$12.94 A$18.37
$5.94 ฿189
117.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,617 A$2,296
$307 ฿9,799
426.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K A$17.2K
$14.8K ฿471.6K
-18.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.9 A$96.4
$55.7 ฿1,775
21.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.2 A$71.3
$26.79 ฿854
87.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.2 A$141
$83.2 ฿2,653
19.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 A$151
$70.1 ฿2,235
52.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,241 A$1,763
$427 ฿13.6K
190.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,076 A$1,528
$237 ฿7,559
353.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,044 A$2,903
$802 ฿25.6K
155.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,658 A$2,354
$503 ฿16.0K
229.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,489 A$7,795
$2,061 ฿65.7K
166.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,574 A$6,495
$1,533 ฿48.9K
198.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ballina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$654 ฿20.8K
-
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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