Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al Hidd

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,782 in Al Hidd, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Al Hidd
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Al Hidd Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Al Hidd

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Al Hidd

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $1,782 in Al Hidd.

Chiang Mai $935
Al Hidd $1,782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $2,129 in Al Hidd.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Al Hidd $2,129

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $2,477 in Al Hidd.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Al Hidd $2,477

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 48% less than in Al Hidd, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Al Hidd is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$5.28 BHD 1.99

-59.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$40.33 BHD 15.21

-53.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.74 BHD 2.92

-27.65%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$3.69 BHD 1.39

-55.01%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$0.79 BHD 0.30

-17.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$0.12 BHD 0.04

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$6.80 BHD 2.57

-65.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$9.68 BHD 3.65

-62.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.43 BHD 0.54

41.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$1.05 BHD 0.40

34.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$2.28 BHD 0.86

-39.04%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$2.23 BHD 0.84

6.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$8.57 BHD 3.23

92.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$5.19 BHD 1.96

-48.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$5.40 BHD 2.04

67.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$2.43 BHD 0.92

-1.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$2.19 BHD 0.83

-52.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.87 BHD 0.71

-11.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.58 BHD 0.60

-1.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$1.01 BHD 0.38

22.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$1.41 BHD 0.53

-22.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$1.54 BHD 0.58

-50.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$0.80 BHD 0.30

-36.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$5.41 BHD 2.04

-23.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$18.27 BHD 6.89

-1.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$3.55 BHD 1.34

-54.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$2.72 BHD 1.03

3.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$1.58 BHD 0.60

-41.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

$52.8 BHD 19.90

0.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$5.21 BHD 1.97

-77.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$3.51 BHD 1.32

-95.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$16.16 BHD 6.10

-88.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$0.62 BHD 0.23

137.10%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$20.0K BHD 7,558

4.84%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$19.6K BHD 7,383

35.43%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$151 BHD 57.0

-58.61%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$24.34 BHD 9.18

-52.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$35.15 BHD 13.26

-42.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$53.5 BHD 20.16

-93.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$10.45 BHD 3.94

-37.70%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$623 BHD 235

16.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$11.5K BHD 4,342

43.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$50.8 BHD 19.17

5.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$56.5 BHD 21.31

-56.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$87.0 BHD 32.80

3.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$90.7 BHD 34.19

-20.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$675 BHD 255

-28.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$941 BHD 355

-67.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$790 BHD 298

33.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$668 BHD 252

-1.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,954 BHD 737

-69.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.21

-10.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Al Hidd: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Al Hidd

$941 52.8% 204% $631

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Al Hidd

$233 13.1% 1.6% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Al Hidd

$128 7.2% 18.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Al Hidd

$211 11.8% 123% $116

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Al Hidd

$167 9.4% 118% $90

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Al Hidd

$82 4.6% 39.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Al Hidd

$21 * 1.2% 59% $30

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 $481 in Chiang Mai and $675 in Al Hidd. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Hidd pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $40 in Al Hidd. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $233, with Al Hidd cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇭 Al Hidd

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

19:04 7:04 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

12,797

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Al Hidd 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Al Hidd

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

Chiang Mai vs Al Hidd: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 70% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $675 in Al Hidd. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $40 in Al Hidd. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $623 in Al Hidd. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai 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, Chiang Mai and Al Hidd are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Al Hidd on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.