Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jimbaran, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,314 in Jimbaran, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Jimbaran, Bali
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Jimbaran, Bali Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Jimbaran, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,314

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Jimbaran, Bali

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,314 in Jimbaran, Bali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Jimbaran, Bali $1,314

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,235 in Jimbaran, Bali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Jimbaran, Bali $2,235

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,157 in Jimbaran, Bali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Jimbaran, Bali $3,157

Chiang Mai is about 30% cheaper than Jimbaran, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Jimbaran, Bali are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Jimbaran, Bali 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.3

$3.28 Rp 59.4K

-30.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿664

$34.26 Rp 620.6K

-42.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿190

$5.53 Rp 100.3K

1.45%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.2

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

-36.64%

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

$0.70 ฿23.65

$1.64 Rp 29.7K

-57.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.35

$0.77 Rp 14.0K

-59.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.3

$2.54 Rp 46.0K

-5.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿126

$4.11 Rp 74.5K

-9.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿66.0

$1.43 Rp 26.0K

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.55

$2.17 Rp 39.3K

-35.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.16 Rp 21.0K

12.93%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.7

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

5.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿563

$16.50 Rp 298.9K

0.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.2

$3.76 Rp 68.1K

-26.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿308

$11.29 Rp 204.5K

-19.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.9

$3.48 Rp 63.0K

-31.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.64

$1.44 Rp 26.0K

-28.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿55.0

$2.24 Rp 40.5K

-27.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.83 Rp 33.2K

-18.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.61

$1.78 Rp 32.2K

-27.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.44

$2.32 Rp 42.0K

-52.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.35

$0.93 Rp 16.8K

-22.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.47 Rp 8,574

12.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿146

$2.08 Rp 37.7K

107.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿606

$21.28 Rp 385.5K

-15.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.5

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-30.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿96.1

$2.89 Rp 52.4K

-1.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.18

$0.26 Rp 4,744

230.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,800

$8.56 Rp 155.1K

522.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.73

$0.50 Rp 8,983

142.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.20

$0.45 Rp 8,205

26.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$6.36 Rp 115.3K

-63.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.49

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

56.52%

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

$20.7K ฿700.5K

$25.3K Rp 458.9M

-18.18%

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

$26.8K ฿905.6K

$34.1K Rp 618.1M

-21.46%

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

$62.3 ฿2,106

$81.1 Rp 1.5M

-23.10%

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

$12.11 ฿409

$6.61 Rp 119.7K

83.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿674

$18.11 Rp 328.1K

10.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,252

$50.6 Rp 915.7K

-26.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿128

$16.42 Rp 297.5K

-76.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿220

$3.94 Rp 71.4K

64.97%

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

$793 ฿26.8K

$471 Rp 8.5M

68.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿500.3K

$5,405 Rp 97.9M

173.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,816

$44.14 Rp 799.6K

21.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿832

$33.73 Rp 611.0K

-27.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,070

$75.2 Rp 1.4M

20.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,404

$75.3 Rp 1.4M

-5.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$1,061 Rp 19.2M

-57.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.1K

$655 Rp 11.9M

-54.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.7K

$3,388 Rp 61.4M

-73.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

-66.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.2K

$2,634 Rp 47.7M

-26.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.8K

$2,154 Rp 39.0M

-32.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.78

-59.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Jimbaran, Bali: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Jimbaran, Bali

$655 49.9% 120% $358

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Jimbaran, Bali

$274 20.9% 16.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Jimbaran, Bali

$103 7.8% 5% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Jimbaran, Bali

$106 8.1% 12.1% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Jimbaran, Bali

$105 8% 33.4% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Jimbaran, Bali

$12 0.9% 79.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Jimbaran, Bali

$58 4.5% 16.7% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $1,061 in Jimbaran, Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai versus $34 in Jimbaran, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $274 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Jimbaran, Bali

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

15,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.79 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.83 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18,115 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,283 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Jimbaran, Bali 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Jimbaran, Bali

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 Jimbaran, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jimbaran, Bali costs about 42% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,971 in Jimbaran, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $455 there versus $1,061 in Jimbaran, Bali.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $471 in Jimbaran, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Jimbaran, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $925 in Chiang Mai and $1,314 in Jimbaran, Bali. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $925 in Chiang Mai to $1,314 in Jimbaran, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.