Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Madinat Hamad

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,199 in Madinat Hamad, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Madinat Hamad
Learn more

Madinat Hamad Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Madinat Hamad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,199

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Madinat Hamad

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,199 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Madinat Hamad $1,199

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,913 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Madinat Hamad $1,913

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,626 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Madinat Hamad $2,626

Chiang Mai is about 22% cheaper than Madinat Hamad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiang Mai and Madinat Hamad are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Madinat Hamad 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$2.61 BHD 0.99

-13.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$53.1 BHD 20.02

-63.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$7.30 BHD 2.76

-23.42%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.60 BHD 0.98

-33.85%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.90 BHD 0.34

-28.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.30 BHD 0.11

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$6.48 BHD 2.44

-63.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$9.81 BHD 3.70

-60.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.40 BHD 0.53

46.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.04 BHD 0.39

34.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$2.38 BHD 0.90

-46.22%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.06 BHD 0.78

9.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$8.59 BHD 3.24

97.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$6.38 BHD 2.41

-57.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$8.70 BHD 3.28

7.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.16 BHD 0.82

11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.55 BHD 0.58

-34.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.93 BHD 0.73

-16.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.33 BHD 0.50

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.02 BHD 0.38

25.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.09 BHD 0.41

1.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.56 BHD 0.59

-53.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.55 BHD 0.21

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$5.35 BHD 2.02

-19.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$18.44 BHD 6.96

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$3.67 BHD 1.39

-55.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.58 BHD 0.97

10.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.63 BHD 0.24

34.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$34.67 BHD 13.09

55.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$5.36 BHD 2.02

-78.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$2.60 BHD 0.98

-78.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$15.62 BHD 5.90

-84.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.39 BHD 0.15

271.79%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$37.6K BHD 14.2K

-45.59%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$20.7K BHD 7,822

27.92%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$155 BHD 58.4

-59.72%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$24.29 BHD 9.17

-49.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$18.20 BHD 6.87

9.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$119 BHD 45.06

-68.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$52.4 BHD 19.76

-92.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$5.16 BHD 1.95

30.04%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$489 BHD 185

63.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$11.0K BHD 4,170

34.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$50.1 BHD 18.90

6.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$58.5 BHD 22.09

-57.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$88.8 BHD 33.53

3.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$88.9 BHD 33.54

-17.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$398 BHD 150

16.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$318 BHD 120

-4.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$805 BHD 304

13.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$665 BHD 251

-16.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$669 BHD 252

-10.97%

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 Madinat Hamad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Madinat Hamad

$318 26.5% 4.3% $13

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Madinat Hamad

$239 19.9% 0.4% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Madinat Hamad

$129 10.8% 17.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Madinat Hamad

$197 16.5% 109% $103

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Madinat Hamad

$131 10.9% 65.5% $52

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Madinat Hamad

$56 4.6% 9.4% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Madinat Hamad

$130 10.8% 153% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $398 in Madinat Hamad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 12% higher in Madinat Hamad, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $53.0 in Madinat Hamad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $239 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇭 Madinat Hamad

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

21:47 9:47 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

133,350

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Madinat Hamad 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Madinat Hamad

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 Madinat Hamad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madinat Hamad costs about 28% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,798 in Madinat Hamad. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $489 in Madinat Hamad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 0% more in Madinat Hamad, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Madinat Hamad at $1,199. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madinat Hamad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,199 in Madinat Hamad. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Madinat Hamad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.