Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ballarat

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,907 in Ballarat, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,907 in Ballarat.

Chiang Mai $936
Ballarat $1,907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $3,040 in Ballarat.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ballarat $3,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $4,172 in Ballarat.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ballarat $4,172

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 51% less than in Ballarat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Ballarat is 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$17.26 A$24.64

-87.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$69.7 A$99.4

-72.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.44 A$14.90

-46.84%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.72 A$5.30

-55.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$2.95 A$4.21

-78.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$1.73 A$2.47

-82.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$6.26 A$8.93

-62.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.18 A$8.83

-40.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.55 A$2.21

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$2.81 A$4.01

-48.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$2.23 A$3.19

-40.36%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$4.17 A$5.95

-45.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.43 A$14.88

57.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$10.13 A$14.46

-72.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.20 A$21.69

-38.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.61 A$5.15

-34.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$3.10 A$4.42

-68.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.23 A$4.61

-50.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.47 A$6.39

-66.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$3.10 A$4.42

-58.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$2.46 A$3.51

-55.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$2.34 A$3.34

-69.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.50 A$2.15

-67.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$35.41 A$50.5

-88.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$12.65 A$18.06

38.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.33 A$3.32

-30.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.19 A$4.56

-12.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$2.76 A$3.94

-68.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$71.1 A$101

-23.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$2.58 A$3.69

-55.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.32 A$1.88

-59.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$26.48 A$37.79

-90.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.22 A$1.75

18.85%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$29.7K A$42.4K

-29.08%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$25.4K A$36.3K

5.93%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$207 A$295

-69.97%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$27.77 A$39.64

-56.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$57.1 A$81.6

-64.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$31.65 A$45.18

17.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$11.37 A$16.22

-66.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$15.14 A$21.60

-57.13%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$2,198 A$3,137

-66.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$30.0K A$42.8K

-50.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$70.6 A$101

-24.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$49.59 A$70.8

-50.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$100 A$143

-8.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$134 A$191

-46.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$903 A$1,289

-46.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$673 A$961

-54.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,290 A$1,842

-22.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,454 A$2,075

-56.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,809 A$6,863

-50.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$3,452 A$4,927

-53.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,185 A$4,545

-81.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.55

0.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ballarat: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ballarat

$673 35.3% 118% $364

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ballarat

$354 18.5% 50.8% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ballarat

$159 8.4% 46.6% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ballarat

$292 15.3% 209% $197

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ballarat

$276 14.5% 256% $199

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ballarat

$91 4.8% 48.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ballarat

$62 3.3% 23.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $903 in Ballarat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $70 in Ballarat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $354 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

03:04 3:04 AM

4 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

105,348

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Ballarat 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
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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 Ballarat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Ballarat. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 81% 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: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $903 in Ballarat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $2,198 in Ballarat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Ballarat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Ballarat are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Ballarat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.