Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sanur, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,071 in Sanur, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sanur, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Sanur, Bali
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Sanur, Bali Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Sanur, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,071

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,071 in Sanur, Bali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Sanur, Bali $1,071

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,789 in Sanur, Bali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Sanur, Bali $1,789

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,508 in Sanur, Bali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Sanur, Bali $2,508

Chiang Mai is about 13% cheaper than Sanur, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Sanur, Bali are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sanur, Bali 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$2.60 Rp 47.2K

-18.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$26.71 Rp 485.0K

-30.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$4.35 Rp 78.9K

28.74%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.14 Rp 38.8K

-22.43%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

-49.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.51 Rp 9,282

-41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.12 Rp 38.6K

9.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.50 Rp 63.5K

4.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.33 Rp 24.2K

51.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$2.06 Rp 37.5K

-31.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$1.01 Rp 18.3K

37.62%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.83 Rp 33.1K

29.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$14.19 Rp 257.6K

16.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$3.53 Rp 64.0K

-24.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$10.32 Rp 187.3K

-12.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.30 Rp 59.9K

-27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

-24.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.12 Rp 38.4K

-21.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.81 Rp 32.8K

-13.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$1.62 Rp 29.5K

-23.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$2.17 Rp 39.5K

-49.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

-15.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.44 Rp 8,006

15.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.01 Rp 36.5K

104.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$19.88 Rp 360.9K

-9.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$2.05 Rp 37.2K

-20.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.70 Rp 49.1K

4.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.24 Rp 4,383

287.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$8.24 Rp 149.6K

541.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.46 Rp 8,300

156.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.42 Rp 7,577

-59.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$5.87 Rp 106.6K

-69.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$0.85 Rp 15.5K

72.94%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$22.6K Rp 411.0M

-7.18%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$31.0K Rp 562.0M

-14.34%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$72.8 Rp 1.3M

-14.10%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$6.04 Rp 109.6K

92.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$18.22 Rp 330.8K

11.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$38.52 Rp 699.3K

-1.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$13.29 Rp 241.2K

-72.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$3.20 Rp 58.1K

103.44%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$438 Rp 7.9M

66.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$10.9K Rp 198.4M

51.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$41.16 Rp 747.3K

30.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$32.28 Rp 586.0K

-23.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

27.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$72.1 Rp 1.3M

-0.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$814 Rp 14.8M

-40.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$483 Rp 8.8M

-35.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$2,663 Rp 48.3M

-60.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$1,201 Rp 21.8M

-45.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$1,743 Rp 31.6M

38.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,622 Rp 29.4M

-0.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sanur, Bali: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Sanur, Bali

$483 45.1% 55.9% $173

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Sanur, Bali

$252 23.6% 6.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Sanur, Bali

$97 9.1% 10.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sanur, Bali

$97 9.1% 2.8% $2.6

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Sanur, Bali

$84 7.9% 10% $7.7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Sanur, Bali

$12 1.1% 80% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Sanur, Bali

$45 4.2% 11.7% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $814 in Sanur, 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 $27 in Sanur, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $252 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Sanur, Bali

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

21:02 9:02 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

15,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,155 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,353 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

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

Sanur, Bali costs about 14% 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 $1,606 in Sanur, 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 $481 there versus $814 in Sanur, Bali.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $438 in Sanur, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Sanur, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,071 in Sanur, 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,071 in Sanur, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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