Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Manama

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,561 in Manama, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Manama
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Manama Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,561 in Manama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Manama $1,561

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,442 in Manama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Manama $2,442

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,323 in Manama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Manama $3,323

Chiang Mai is about 40% cheaper than Manama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Manama is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.17 BHD 1.93

-56.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$53.4 BHD 19.97

-64.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.22 BHD 2.70

-23.13%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$5.01 BHD 1.88

-66.67%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.88 BHD 0.33

-27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.32 BHD 0.12

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$6.48 BHD 2.42

-63.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$10.09 BHD 3.78

-63.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.39 BHD 0.52

40.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.05 BHD 0.39

37.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$2.33 BHD 0.87

-42.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.22 BHD 0.83

2.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.62 BHD 3.22

90.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.58 BHD 2.46

-57.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.38 BHD 3.13

11.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.39 BHD 0.89

-1.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.31 BHD 0.86

-58.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.94 BHD 0.73

-17.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.38 BHD 0.52

8.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.01 BHD 0.38

26.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.36 BHD 0.51

-19.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.56 BHD 0.58

-54.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.84 BHD 0.32

-41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.26 BHD 1.97

-21.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$18.18 BHD 6.80

-3.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.63 BHD 1.36

-55.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.66 BHD 1.00

4.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.78 BHD 0.29

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$36.65 BHD 13.71

47.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$5.18 BHD 1.94

-77.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$3.42 BHD 1.28

-84.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$15.82 BHD 5.92

-84.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.66 BHD 0.25

119.70%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$25.9K BHD 9,671

-18.56%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$19.3K BHD 7,234

39.29%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$153 BHD 57.1

-59.25%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$24.67 BHD 9.23

-50.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$35.29 BHD 13.20

-42.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$68.9 BHD 25.77

-45.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$30.13 BHD 11.27

-87.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.78 BHD 4.03

-39.80%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$622 BHD 233

18.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$10.9K BHD 4,091

34.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$50.1 BHD 18.74

6.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$58.0 BHD 21.71

-57.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$89.1 BHD 33.32

2.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$88.7 BHD 33.16

-18.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,004 BHD 376

-51.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$638 BHD 239

-51.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,052 BHD 767

-50.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,303 BHD 487

-51.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,590 BHD 969

-8.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,974 BHD 738

-19.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,384 BHD 892

-75.26%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Manama: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Manama

$638 40.9% 107% $329

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Manama

$249 16% 6.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Manama

$129 8.2% 18.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Manama

$213 13.6% 125% $118

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Manama

$181 11.6% 133% $103

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Manama

$62 4% 1.1% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Manama

$90 5.8% 79.9% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,004 in Manama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Manama are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $53 in Manama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $249 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇭 Manama

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

13:08 1:08 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

157,474 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BHD = 2.67 USD

1 BHD = 2.4 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.374 BHD (1 BHD = 2.67 USD). 1 EUR = 0.417 BHD (1 BHD = 2.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Manama 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Manama

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 Manama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manama costs about 67% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,342 in Manama. 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 $1,004 in Manama.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $622 in Manama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Manama, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,561 in Manama. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manama makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.