Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kuta, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,198 in Kuta, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Kuta, Bali
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Kuta, Bali Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kuta, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,198

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Kuta, 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 Kuta, Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,198 in Kuta, Bali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kuta, Bali $1,198

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,022 in Kuta, Bali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kuta, Bali $2,022

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,847 in Kuta, Bali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kuta, Bali $2,847

Chiang Mai is about 22% cheaper than Kuta, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kuta, Bali are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kuta, Bali 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.92 Rp 52.7K

-23.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$31.47 Rp 567.3K

-39.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.01 Rp 90.3K

10.78%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.32 Rp 41.9K

-28.02%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

-57.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

-56.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

3.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.88 Rp 69.9K

-5.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.48 Rp 26.6K

31.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

-34.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.10 Rp 19.9K

20.91%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.04 Rp 36.7K

11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$16.77 Rp 302.3K

-1.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.59 Rp 64.7K

-22.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.26 Rp 203.0K

-17.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.43 Rp 61.9K

-31.49%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.50 Rp 27.0K

-35.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.15 Rp 38.8K

-25.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.87 Rp 33.8K

-19.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.77 Rp 32.0K

-27.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.29 Rp 41.4K

-51.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

-28.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.50 Rp 9,068

-2.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.13 Rp 38.4K

94.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$21.32 Rp 384.3K

-17.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

-25.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.87 Rp 51.8K

-3.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.25 Rp 4,482

248.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$9.71 Rp 175.1K

457.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.53 Rp 9,630

118.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.51 Rp 9,201

3.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.66 Rp 47.9K

-9.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.91 Rp 16.5K

59.34%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$26.3K Rp 473.9M

-19.90%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$35.3K Rp 635.9M

-23.63%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$79.0 Rp 1.4M

-21.31%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.57 Rp 118.5K

85.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$18.71 Rp 337.2K

7.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$43.72 Rp 788.1K

-14.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$15.62 Rp 281.6K

-75.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.86 Rp 69.6K

68.13%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$445 Rp 8.0M

65.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$5,180 Rp 93.4M

185.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$45.09 Rp 812.8K

18.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$35.47 Rp 639.4K

-30.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

16.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

-9.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$940 Rp 16.9M

-48.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$552 Rp 10.0M

-44.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$2,955 Rp 53.3M

-65.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,398 Rp 25.2M

-54.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,307 Rp 41.6M

2.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,882 Rp 33.9M

-15.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 26, 2026

Last update for Kuta, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kuta, Bali

$552 46.1% 78.8% $243

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kuta, Bali

$274 22.9% 17.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kuta, Bali

$107 9% 1.1% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kuta, Bali

$104 8.7% 10.4% $9.8

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kuta, Bali

$94 7.9% 21.4% $17

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kuta, Bali

$14 1.2% 77.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kuta, Bali

$51 4.3% 2.3% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $940 in Kuta, 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $31 in Kuta, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $274 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Kuta, Bali

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

57,304

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,025 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,061 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Kuta, 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 Kuta, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuta, Bali costs about 28% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,797 in Kuta, 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 $482 there versus $940 in Kuta, Bali.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $445 in Kuta, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Kuta, 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 $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,198 in Kuta, 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,198 in Kuta, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.