Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and 'ali

For one person, living is cheaper in 'ali: $818 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in 'ali
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'ali Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

'ali

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 'ali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $818 in 'ali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
'ali $818

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,299 in 'ali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
'ali $1,299

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,779 in 'ali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
'ali $1,779

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than 'ali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and 'ali are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, 'ali 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.6

$5.36 BHD 2.02

-57.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿643

$53.3 BHD 20.14

-64.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿188

$7.44 BHD 2.81

-24.87%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.8

$5.01 BHD 1.89

-65.67%

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

$0.64 ฿21.61

$0.90 BHD 0.34

-28.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.22

$0.30 BHD 0.11

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.0

$6.73 BHD 2.54

-64.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿131

$10.18 BHD 3.84

-61.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.9

$1.42 BHD 0.54

44.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.86

$1.07 BHD 0.40

30.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.03

$2.26 BHD 0.85

-43.36%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$2.22 BHD 0.84

1.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿568

$8.64 BHD 3.26

96.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.9

$6.45 BHD 2.44

-57.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿314

$8.86 BHD 3.34

5.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.30 BHD 0.87

4.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿34.03

$2.31 BHD 0.87

-56.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿54.1

$1.92 BHD 0.73

-16.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$1.40 BHD 0.53

8.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.04

$1.04 BHD 0.39

23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.34

$1.35 BHD 0.51

-17.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.17

$1.50 BHD 0.57

-52.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.60

$0.78 BHD 0.30

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$5.32 BHD 2.01

-18.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿595

$18.80 BHD 7.10

-5.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.6

$3.61 BHD 1.36

-54.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.7

$2.57 BHD 0.97

10.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,807

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.31

$5.42 BHD 2.05

-78.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.06

$3.46 BHD 1.31

-83.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.4

$15.80 BHD 5.96

-85.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.48

$0.70 BHD 0.26

107.14%

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

$20.5K ฿686.5K

$36.7K BHD 13.9K

-44.23%

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

$26.5K ฿889.0K

$20.1K BHD 7,594

31.80%

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

$62.3 ฿2,090

$151 BHD 57.0

-58.69%

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

$12.27 ฿411

$24.17 BHD 9.12

-49.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿670

$35.75 BHD 13.50

-44.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,271

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿225

$10.67 BHD 4.03

-37.11%

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

$797 ฿26.7K

$495 BHD 187

61.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.3K

$11.2K BHD 4,229

32.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,786

$51.9 BHD 19.59

2.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿840

$57.3 BHD 21.63

-56.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,072

$89.2 BHD 33.67

2.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,463

$89.2 BHD 33.67

-17.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿64.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$3,823 BHD 1,443

-84.43%

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: October 13, 2026

Last update for 'ali: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

'ali

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

'ali

$250 30.5% 4.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

'ali

$129 15.8% 18.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

'ali

$211 25.8% 123% $116

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

'ali

$184 22.5% 133% $105

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

'ali

$23 * 2.8% 63% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

'ali

$21 * 2.6% 58.5% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 542% higher in 'ali, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $53.0 in 'ali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $250 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇭 'ali

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

03:14 3:14 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

100,553

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 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 October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.422 BHD (1 BHD = 2.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai 'ali 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
'ali

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 'ali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,227 in 'ali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $53.0 in 'ali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in 'ali, where all-in costs run around $818, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In 'ali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with 'ali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.