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

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 15.3% more expensive than Balti without rent, and 12.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 10% cheaper than Balti without rent, and 20.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 ฿62.0

$8.03 MDL 137

-75.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 ฿587

$36.49 MDL 624

-48.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 ฿249

$7.71 MDL 132

2.72%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿63.6

$1.65 MDL 28.27

22.42%

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

$0.84 ฿26.44

$0.93 MDL 15.90

-9.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.06

$0.69 MDL 11.75

-49.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 ฿69.9

$1.78 MDL 30.45

24.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿113

$2.16 MDL 36.93

66.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿52.3

$1.24 MDL 21.13

34.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.1

$0.40 MDL 6.82

305.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 ฿37.82

$1.50 MDL 25.68

-20.00%

Eggs

$1.93 ฿60.8

$1.62 MDL 27.77

19.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.00 ฿503

$9.13 MDL 156

75.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ฿99.2

$4.65 MDL 79.6

-32.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿343

$8.82 MDL 151

23.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ฿83.8

$0.89 MDL 15.22

200.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿36.98

$1.77 MDL 30.27

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ฿51.5

$1.52 MDL 26.04

7.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿49.82

$2.13 MDL 36.49

-25.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿41.63

$0.69 MDL 11.77

91.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿37.48

$0.54 MDL 9.30

120.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.19

$1.35 MDL 23.10

-47.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.74

$0.83 MDL 14.22

-32.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 ฿146

$3.14 MDL 53.6

47.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 ฿596

$4.85 MDL 82.9

290.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.6

$1.23 MDL 21.01

43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ฿101

$1.89 MDL 32.40

69.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿28.31

$0.33 MDL 5.70

172.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.77

$2.09 MDL 35.75

-34.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.35

$0.25 MDL 4.23

440.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ฿256

$5.41 MDL 92.6

50.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿38.42

$1.30 MDL 22.28

-6.15%

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

$21.4K ฿671.6K

$32.8K MDL 560.7K

-34.79%

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

$21.7K ฿683.6K

$31.4K MDL 537.9K

-30.81%

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

$70.3 ฿2,210

$169 MDL 2,894

-58.44%

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

$13.91 ฿437

$4.76 MDL 81.4

192.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 ฿566

$10.67 MDL 183

68.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 ฿1,313

$40.59 MDL 694

2.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 ฿214

Cinema Ticket

$5.72 ฿180

$4.70 MDL 80.5

21.70%

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

$308 ฿9,690

$117 MDL 1,997

164.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿465.6K

$5,399 MDL 92.4K

174.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 ฿1,755

$65.6 MDL 1,122

-14.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.71 ฿839

$54.7 MDL 936

-51.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 ฿2,657

$112 MDL 1,916

-24.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 ฿2,226

$121 MDL 2,071

-41.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 ฿13.5K

$406 MDL 6,940

6.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,437

$296 MDL 5,070

-20.15%

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)

$2,202 ฿69.2K

$1,476 MDL 25.2K

49.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ฿50.3K

$1,022 MDL 17.5K

56.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

$444 MDL 7,588

54.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.24

-45.89%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

Last update for Balti: 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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