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

🙂 Solo nomad: Balti is 13.3% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 14.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Balti is 11.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 16.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.03 MDL 137

$1.97 ฿62.0

307.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.49 MDL 625

$18.68 ฿587

95.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.71 MDL 132

$7.92 ฿249

-2.65%

Cappuccino

$1.65 MDL 28.28

$2.02 ฿63.7

-18.32%

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

$0.93 MDL 15.90

$0.84 ฿26.45

10.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 MDL 11.76

$0.35 ฿11.07

97.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 MDL 30.46

$2.22 ฿69.9

-19.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 MDL 36.95

$3.59 ฿113

-39.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 MDL 21.14

$1.67 ฿52.4

-25.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.40 MDL 6.82

$1.62 ฿51.1

-75.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MDL 25.69

$1.20 ฿37.83

25.00%

Eggs

$1.62 MDL 27.79

$1.93 ฿60.8

-16.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 MDL 156

$16.00 ฿503

-42.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.65 MDL 79.6

$3.16 ฿99.2

47.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.82 MDL 151

$10.93 ฿344

-19.30%

Apples (1kg)

$0.89 MDL 15.23

$2.67 ฿83.8

-66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 MDL 30.29

$1.18 ฿36.99

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 MDL 26.05

$1.64 ฿51.5

-7.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 MDL 36.51

$1.59 ฿49.83

33.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 MDL 11.78

$1.32 ฿41.64

-47.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 MDL 9.31

$1.19 ฿37.49

-54.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 MDL 23.12

$0.71 ฿22.20

90.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MDL 14.23

$0.56 ฿17.75

48.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 MDL 53.7

$4.64 ฿146

-32.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.85 MDL 83.0

$18.96 ฿596

-74.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 MDL 21.02

$1.77 ฿55.7

-30.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 MDL 32.42

$3.20 ฿101

-40.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 MDL 5.70

$0.90 ฿28.32

-63.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.09 MDL 35.77

$1.36 ฿42.78

53.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 MDL 4.24

$1.35 ฿42.37

-81.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MDL 92.6

$8.15 ฿256

-33.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 MDL 22.29

$1.22 ฿38.43

6.56%

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

$32.8K MDL 561.0K

$21.4K ฿671.8K

53.35%

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

$31.4K MDL 538.2K

$21.7K ฿683.8K

44.54%

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

$169 MDL 2,896

$70.3 ฿2,210

140.63%

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

$4.76 MDL 81.5

$13.91 ฿437

-65.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.67 MDL 183

$18.00 ฿566

-40.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.59 MDL 695

$41.78 ฿1,314

-2.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 ฿214

Cinema Ticket

$4.70 MDL 80.5

$5.72 ฿180

-17.83%

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

$117 MDL 1,998

$308 ฿9,693

-62.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,399 MDL 92.4K

$14.8K ฿465.7K

-63.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.6 MDL 1,123

$55.9 ฿1,756

17.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 MDL 937

$26.71 ฿840

104.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MDL 1,917

$84.5 ฿2,658

32.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 MDL 2,072

$70.8 ฿2,227

70.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 MDL 6,944

$431 ฿13.5K

-5.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 MDL 5,073

$237 ฿7,439

25.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿15.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,476 MDL 25.3K

$2,202 ฿69.2K

-33.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,022 MDL 17.5K

$1,600 ฿50.3K

-36.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 MDL 7,593

$684 ฿21.5K

-35.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.24

84.80%

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

Last update for Balti: January 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 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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