Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Rai and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Rai: $710 a month against $1,236 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Rai
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Chiang Rai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index

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Chiang Rai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$710

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,236

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Rai and in Bali

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Rai and in Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $710 per month in Chiang Rai vs $1,236 in Bali, rent included.

Chiang Rai $710
Bali $1,236

A couple spends around $1,133 per month in Chiang Rai vs $2,086 in Bali, rent included.

Chiang Rai $1,133
Bali $2,086

A family of three spends $1,556 per month in Chiang Rai vs $2,937 in Bali, rent included.

Chiang Rai $1,556
Bali $2,937

Chiang Rai is about 43% cheaper than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Rai and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Rai 47% lower, Bali 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.19 ฿73.1

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

-20.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.08 ฿504

$29.80 Rp 536.4K

-49.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$4.63 Rp 83.3K

18.14%

Cappuccino

$1.32 ฿44.11

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

-43.10%

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

$0.64 ฿21.44

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

-54.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ฿8.97

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

-57.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 ฿53.5

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

-26.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ฿122

$3.58 Rp 64.5K

1.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ฿66.4

$1.49 Rp 26.7K

33.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.49

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

-34.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 ฿38.71

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

-0.85%

Eggs

$1.91 ฿63.7

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

-5.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.63 ฿556

$16.52 Rp 297.4K

0.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.68 Rp 66.2K

-24.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.06 ฿303

$11.67 Rp 210.0K

-22.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.1

$3.44 Rp 62.0K

-30.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 ฿28.60

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

-41.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ฿52.4

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

-29.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 ฿31.22

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

-48.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 ฿40.89

$1.79 Rp 32.2K

-31.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ฿35.52

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

-53.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 ฿25.83

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.44

$0.51 Rp 9,186

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ฿126

$2.15 Rp 38.7K

75.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.03 ฿603

$21.44 Rp 386.0K

-15.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.7

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

-31.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿92.0

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

-3.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 ฿28.01

$0.26 Rp 4,713

223.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.09 ฿738

$7.97 Rp 143.5K

177.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.68

$0.48 Rp 8,646

154.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.43 Rp 7,705

23.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿80.8

$5.64 Rp 101.6K

-57.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.94

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

63.41%

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

$21.0K ฿702.0K

$23.7K Rp 426.6M

-11.35%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$31.7K Rp 571.3M

-15.55%

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

$61.2 ฿2,046

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

-24.70%

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

$12.51 ฿418

$6.53 Rp 117.6K

91.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.60 ฿455

$18.31 Rp 329.7K

-25.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.64 ฿1,191

$46.85 Rp 843.4K

-23.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.85 ฿196

$15.05 Rp 270.8K

-61.13%

Cinema Ticket

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.69 Rp 66.5K

-20.05%

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

$783 ฿26.2K

$445 Rp 8.0M

75.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ฿492.1K

$5,218 Rp 93.9M

182.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 ฿1,849

$42.66 Rp 767.8K

29.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.42 ฿816

$33.40 Rp 601.2K

-26.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 ฿2,530

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

0.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.6 ฿2,393

$73.7 Rp 1.3M

-2.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$228 ฿7,613

$996 Rp 17.9M

-77.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ฿5,047

$596 Rp 10.7M

-74.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$3,054 Rp 55.0M

-83.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ฿12.0K

$1,511 Rp 27.2M

-76.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,911 ฿63.9K

$2,430 Rp 43.7M

-21.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$967 ฿32.3K

$1,963 Rp 35.3M

-50.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$583 ฿19.5K

$220 Rp 4.0M

164.82%

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 Rai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Rai

$230 32.4%

Bali

$277 22.4% 20.1% $46

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Rai

$151 21.3%

Bali

$596 48.2% 295% $445

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Rai

$102 14.4%

Bali

$101 8.2% 1% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Rai

$87 12.3%

Bali

$106 8.6% 21.6% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Rai

$69 9.7%

Bali

$90 7.3% 31% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Rai

$42 5.9%

Bali

$54 4.4% 30.6% $13

Getting Around

Chiang Rai

$29 4.1%

Bali

$12 0.9% 60.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $228 in Chiang Rai versus $996 in Bali. 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 165% higher in Chiang Rai, 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 $15.00 in Chiang Rai versus $30.00 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $277 – making Chiang Rai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Rai

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

10:47 10:47 AM

11:47 11:47 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Rai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,672

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Rai Bali 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Rai
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 Rai vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 74% more than Chiang Rai, 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 $1,066 per month in Chiang Rai and $1,854 in Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Rai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Chiang Rai and $30.00 in Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $710 in Chiang Rai and $1,236 in Bali. That's a gap of about 74%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Rai, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Bali at $1,236. In Chiang Rai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Rai costs $710 versus $1,236 in Bali. 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 Rai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.