Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina, Australia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,525 in Ballina, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Ballina
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Ballina Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ballina

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,525

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ballina and in Chiang Mai

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

A single person spends $2,525 per month in Ballina vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ballina $2,525
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,645 per month in Ballina vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ballina $3,645
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,766 per month in Ballina vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ballina $4,766
Chiang Mai $1,999

Ballina costs about 170% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ballina sits 87% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.32 A$24.69

$2.13 ฿71.8

713.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 A$119

$18.62 ฿626

348.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 A$15.02

$5.60 ฿188

88.21%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.78

$1.66 ฿55.9

143.98%

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

$2.87 A$4.09

$0.65 ฿21.75

341.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.26

$0.30 ฿10.25

660.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 A$10.95

$2.32 ฿78.1

231.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.50 A$10.69

$3.67 ฿123

104.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.68 A$3.82

$2.02 ฿67.8

32.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 A$4.89

$1.41 ฿47.34

143.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.15

$1.39 ฿46.79

58.99%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.96

$2.37 ฿79.6

135.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 A$8.78

$16.52 ฿555

-62.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.58

$2.67 ฿89.8

256.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 A$20.67

$9.02 ฿303

60.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 A$5.13

$2.40 ฿80.6

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.35

$1.04 ฿35.01

193.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.66

$1.66 ฿55.8

96.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.94

$1.56 ฿52.4

122.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.89

$1.24 ฿41.61

120.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.56

$1.09 ฿36.53

129.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.46 A$4.93

$0.76 ฿25.61

355.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.21

$0.51 ฿17.29

203.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.40 A$60.5

$4.12 ฿139

929.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 A$20.20

$17.93 ฿603

-20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.60 A$6.55

$1.62 ฿54.6

183.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 A$7.29

$2.82 ฿94.9

81.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 A$3.82

$0.93 ฿31.42

188.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.9 A$118

$52.9 ฿1,778

56.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 A$4.87

$1.18 ฿39.56

188.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.28

$0.17 ฿5.76

841.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.99 A$57.0

$1.81 ฿60.9

2109.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.88

$1.47 ฿49.51

-10.20%

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

$29.3K A$41.8K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

39.45%

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

$26.3K A$37.5K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

-0.89%

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

$212 A$302

$62.6 ฿2,103

239.16%

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

$27.41 A$39.08

$11.60 ฿390

136.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.7

$20.30 ฿683

185.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 A$79.1

$37.88 ฿1,274

46.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.00 A$25.65

$3.70 ฿124

386.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.11 A$20.12

$6.51 ฿219

116.74%

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

$2,118 A$3,020

$727 ฿24.4K

191.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.3K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

24.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.1 A$110

$53.5 ฿1,800

44.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 A$76.7

$24.80 ฿834

117.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$154

$90.4 ฿3,039

19.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$72.0 ฿2,420

70.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 A$1,989

$481 ฿16.2K

189.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 A$1,721

$310 ฿10.4K

289.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 A$3,243

$1,058 ฿35.6K

114.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 A$2,600

$659 ฿22.1K

176.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,839 A$8,324

$2,418 ฿81.3K

141.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,029 A$7,169

$1,609 ฿54.1K

212.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Ballina: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballina

$1.2K 47.8%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 74.3% $897

Groceries & Markets

Ballina

$376 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 37% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballina

$298 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 68.3% $203

Eating Out

Ballina

$293 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 73.9% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Ballina

$163 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 33.4% $54

Getting Around

Ballina

$105 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 44.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Ballina

$84 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 39.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,395 in Ballina versus $481 in Chiang Mai. 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 $83 in Ballina versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $376 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballina

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

09:10 9:10 AM

4 h behind Ballina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,911

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ballina Chiang Mai 7,890 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ballina
Chiang Mai

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

Ballina vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ballina is pricier by about 170%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,787 per month in Ballina and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $1,395 in Ballina.

Kindergarten costs $2,118 per month in Ballina and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Ballina, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,525 in Ballina and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 63% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.