Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hat Yai and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Hat Yai: $731 a month against $1,236 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Hat Yai
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Hat Yai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
Learn more

Bali Living Index

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Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$731

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,236

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $731 per month in Hat Yai vs $1,236 in Bali, rent included.

Hat Yai $731
Bali $1,236

A couple spends around $1,300 per month in Hat Yai vs $2,086 in Bali, rent included.

Hat Yai $1,300
Bali $2,086

A family of three spends $1,870 per month in Hat Yai vs $2,937 in Bali, rent included.

Hat Yai $1,870
Bali $2,937

Hat Yai is about 41% cheaper than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hat Yai and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Hat Yai 46% lower, Bali 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ฿96.9

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

5.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.67 ฿1,460

$29.80 Rp 536.4K

46.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.66 ฿122

$4.63 Rp 83.3K

-20.95%

Cappuccino

$2.88 ฿96.3

$2.32 Rp 41.7K

24.14%

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

$1.33 ฿44.34

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

-5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿18.60

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 ฿60.1

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

-17.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ฿116

$3.58 Rp 64.5K

-3.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.55

$1.49 Rp 26.7K

-2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ฿41.68

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

-43.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.28

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

5.98%

Eggs

$2.51 ฿83.9

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

24.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.15 ฿740

$16.52 Rp 297.4K

34.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.24 ฿74.7

$3.68 Rp 66.2K

-39.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ฿374

$11.67 Rp 210.0K

-4.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 ฿84.8

$3.44 Rp 62.0K

-26.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.10

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

-5.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ฿63.3

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

-15.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ฿60.3

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

-1.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.94

$1.79 Rp 32.2K

-18.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.38

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

-54.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.74

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

8.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.57

$0.51 Rp 9,186

-19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 ฿146

$2.15 Rp 38.7K

102.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 ฿502

$21.44 Rp 386.0K

-29.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

-22.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ฿66.4

$2.86 Rp 51.5K

-30.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ฿18.98

$0.26 Rp 4,713

119.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.97 Rp 143.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 ฿41.71

$0.48 Rp 8,646

160.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ฿37.78

$0.43 Rp 7,705

162.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 ฿165

$5.64 Rp 101.6K

-12.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.15

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

57.32%

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

$18.9K ฿630.6K

$23.7K Rp 426.6M

-20.38%

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

$45.1K ฿1.5M

$31.7K Rp 571.3M

42.14%

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

$84.4 ฿2,819

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

3.74%

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

$11.75 ฿393

$6.53 Rp 117.6K

79.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.65 ฿322

$18.31 Rp 329.7K

-47.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.45 ฿1,619

$46.85 Rp 843.4K

3.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.10 ฿471

$15.05 Rp 270.8K

-6.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.19 ฿240

$3.69 Rp 66.5K

94.85%

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

$562 ฿18.8K

$445 Rp 8.0M

26.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ฿357.3K

$5,218 Rp 93.9M

104.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.54 ฿1,255

$42.66 Rp 767.8K

-12.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.26 ฿878

$33.40 Rp 601.2K

-21.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 ฿2,369

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

-5.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 ฿3,250

$73.7 Rp 1.3M

31.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 ฿9,010

$996 Rp 17.9M

-72.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 ฿3,576

$596 Rp 10.7M

-82.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$3,054 Rp 55.0M

-76.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ฿13.3K

$1,511 Rp 27.2M

-73.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 ฿64.0K

$2,430 Rp 43.7M

-21.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,584 ฿52.9K

$1,963 Rp 35.3M

-19.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$452 ฿15.1K

$220 Rp 4.0M

105.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

13.78

-53.85%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Hat Yai: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hat Yai

$249 34.1%

Bali

$277 22.4% 11% $27

Accommodation & Living

Hat Yai

$107 14.7%

Bali

$596 48.2% 457% $489

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hat Yai

$106 14.5%

Bali

$106 8.6% 0.4% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Hat Yai

$104 14.3%

Bali

$101 8.2% 3.1% $3.2

Eating Out

Hat Yai

$92 12.6%

Bali

$90 7.3% 2.4% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Hat Yai

$63 8.6%

Bali

$54 4.4% 13.7% $8.6

Getting Around

Hat Yai

$9.2 * 1.3%

Bali

$12 0.9% 26.9% $2.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $270 in Hat Yai 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 105% higher in Hat Yai, 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 $44.00 in Hat Yai versus $30.00 in Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $249 in Hat Yai vs $277 in Bali – so Hat Yai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Hat Yai

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

04:38 4:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

1 h ahead of Hat Yai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,802

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Hat Yai Bali 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hat Yai
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

Hat Yai vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 69% more than Hat Yai, 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 $1,096 per month in Hat Yai 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 Hat Yai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $731 in Hat Yai and $1,236 in Bali. That's a gap of about 69%.

Kindergarten costs $562 per month in Hat Yai and $445 in Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hat Yai, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Bali at $1,236. In Hat Yai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hat Yai costs $731 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 Hat Yai. 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.