Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Yala

For one person, living is cheaper in Yala: $951 a month against $1,107 in Bangkok, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Yala
Learn more

Yala Living Index

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Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,107

/mo nomad

Yala

🇹🇭 Thailand

$951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangkok and in Yala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,107 in Bangkok versus $951 in Yala.

Bangkok $1,107
Yala $951

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,876 in Bangkok versus $1,539 in Yala.

Bangkok $1,876
Yala $1,539

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,645 in Bangkok versus $2,127 in Yala.

Bangkok $2,645
Yala $2,127

Living in Bangkok is roughly 16% more expensive than in Yala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangkok 18% lower, Yala 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 ฿99.6

$1.44 ฿48.61

104.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.08 ฿1,285

$26.66 ฿899

42.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ฿253

$8.51 ฿287

-11.99%

Cappuccino

$2.68 ฿90.4

$1.90 ฿64.2

41.05%

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

$0.67 ฿22.61

$0.52 ฿17.51

28.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.91

$0.17 ฿5.57

105.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿87.5

$2.29 ฿77.3

13.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 ฿150

$3.18 ฿107

40.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ฿59.1

$1.89 ฿63.8

-7.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.24 ฿41.73

20.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 ฿46.03

$1.21 ฿40.75

12.40%

Eggs

$2.58 ฿87.2

$2.10 ฿70.8

22.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.27 ฿583

$14.75 ฿498

17.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.04 ฿136

$2.30 ฿77.7

75.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ฿438

$10.78 ฿364

20.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 ฿130

$2.64 ฿89.0

45.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ฿59.7

$0.97 ฿32.61

82.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ฿94.7

$1.86 ฿62.8

51.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 ฿66.3

$1.67 ฿56.5

17.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.49 ฿50.2

13.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 ฿52.4

$1.11 ฿37.43

39.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ฿43.04

$1.06 ฿35.85

20.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.16

$0.50 ฿17.00

-4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.63 ฿156

$4.31 ฿145

7.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.81 ฿500

$16.17 ฿546

-8.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.3

$1.71 ฿57.7

6.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 ฿112

$3.04 ฿103

9.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 ฿36.01

$0.57 ฿19.34

87.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.42 ฿1,161

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.30 ฿43.83

-17.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 ฿40.66

$1.26 ฿42.64

-4.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.04 ฿204

$5.07 ฿171

19.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.69

$1.40 ฿47.31

2.86%

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

$31.2K ฿1.1M

$26.4K ฿889.7K

18.28%

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

$27.2K ฿918.0K

$26.7K ฿900.6K

1.93%

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

$99.5 ฿3,356

$76.1 ฿2,567

30.71%

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

$13.97 ฿471

$11.65 ฿393

19.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.89 ฿603

$20.25 ฿683

-11.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.8 ฿1,917

$50.2 ฿1,693

13.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.13 ฿646

$12.66 ฿427

51.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 ฿255

$6.64 ฿224

13.86%

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

$810 ฿27.3K

$617 ฿20.8K

31.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K ฿1.0M

$13.8K ฿467.2K

122.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.0 ฿2,328

$48.68 ฿1,642

41.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.47 ฿1,433

$25.24 ฿852

68.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 ฿3,217

$75.9 ฿2,562

25.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ฿3,589

$84.2 ฿2,841

26.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 ฿23.9K

$508 ฿17.1K

39.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 ฿11.4K

$353 ฿11.9K

-4.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,284 ฿77.0K

$1,220 ฿41.2K

87.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$809 ฿27.3K

12.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,177 ฿208.4K

$2,226 ฿75.1K

177.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,221 ฿108.7K

$1,529 ฿51.6K

110.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$620 ฿20.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Bangkok: October 31, 2026

Last update for Yala: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangkok

$338 30.5%

Yala

$353 37.1% 4.4% $15

Groceries & Markets

Bangkok

$275 24.8%

Yala

$231 24.3% 15.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Bangkok

$141 12.7%

Yala

$105 11.1% 25.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangkok

$131 11.9%

Yala

$108 11.4% 17.8% $23

Eating Out

Bangkok

$104 9.4%

Yala

$80 8.5% 22.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Bangkok

$72 6.5%

Yala

$63 6.7% 11.8% $8.5

Getting Around

Bangkok

$46 4.1%

Yala

$9.9 * 1% 78.4% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $710 in Bangkok and $508 in Yala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Bangkok vs $27 in Yala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $231 per month, with Yala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🇹🇭 Yala

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

Same time as Bangkok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,666,264 Capital

60,617

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bangkok Yala 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bangkok
Yala

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

Bangkok vs Yala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,107 in Bangkok and $951 in Yala, so Yala is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,660 in Bangkok and $1,427 in Yala to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $710 in Bangkok versus $508 in Yala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Bangkok. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,107 per month in Bangkok versus $951 in Yala – Yala is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Yala is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bangkok and Yala are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.