Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sitrah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sitrah: $812 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Sitrah
Learn more

Sitrah Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sitrah

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $812 in Sitrah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sitrah $812

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,288 in Sitrah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sitrah $1,288

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,764 in Sitrah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sitrah $1,764

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Sitrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Sitrah are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sitrah 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$5.17 BHD 1.95

-56.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$52.8 BHD 19.91

-64.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.34 BHD 2.77

-24.39%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$4.81 BHD 1.81

-65.28%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.89 BHD 0.33

-28.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.32 BHD 0.12

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$6.69 BHD 2.52

-64.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$10.05 BHD 3.79

-63.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.44 BHD 0.54

35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.07 BHD 0.40

34.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$2.26 BHD 0.85

-41.15%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.25 BHD 0.85

1.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$8.85 BHD 3.34

85.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.54 BHD 2.47

-57.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.55 BHD 3.22

8.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.41 BHD 0.91

-2.49%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$2.23 BHD 0.84

-56.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.86 BHD 0.70

-13.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.38 BHD 0.52

8.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.01 BHD 0.38

26.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.37 BHD 0.52

-19.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.56 BHD 0.59

-54.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.83 BHD 0.31

-40.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.24 BHD 1.98

-20.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$18.44 BHD 6.96

-4.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$3.63 BHD 1.37

-55.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.71 BHD 1.02

2.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$5.28 BHD 1.99

-78.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$3.51 BHD 1.33

-84.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$15.67 BHD 5.91

-84.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.66 BHD 0.25

119.70%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$26.0K BHD 9,808

-19.01%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$19.8K BHD 7,452

36.37%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$151 BHD 56.8

-58.72%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$24.19 BHD 9.13

-49.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$35.37 BHD 13.34

-43.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.73 BHD 4.05

-39.52%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$629 BHD 237

16.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$10.8K BHD 4,072

36.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$50.4 BHD 19.01

5.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$58.0 BHD 21.88

-57.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$87.0 BHD 32.83

5.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$89.0 BHD 33.58

-19.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,059 BHD 400

-44.33%

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 Sitrah: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sitrah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sitrah

$250 30.8% 6.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sitrah

$128 15.8% 17.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sitrah

$210 25.9% 123% $116

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sitrah

$179 22.1% 131% $102

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sitrah

$23 * 2.8% 62.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sitrah

$21 * 2.6% 57.3% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 80% higher in Sitrah, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $53 in Sitrah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $250 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇭 Sitrah

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

10:32 10:32 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

81,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.38 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.421 BHD (1 BHD = 2.38 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Sitrah

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 Sitrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Sitrah, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,218 in Sitrah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $53 in Sitrah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $812 in Sitrah to $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.