Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Juffair and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,530 in Juffair, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Juffair
Learn more

Juffair Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Juffair

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,530

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,530 per month in Juffair vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Juffair $1,530
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,205 per month in Juffair vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Juffair $2,205
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,880 per month in Juffair vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Juffair $2,880
Chiang Mai $1,903

Juffair costs about 65% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Juffair sits 13% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.45 BHD 2.06

$2.29 ฿76.5

137.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.54 BHD 11.90

$19.64 ฿656

60.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 BHD 2.83

$5.61 ฿188

33.69%

Cappuccino

$4.85 BHD 1.83

$1.66 ฿55.6

192.17%

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

$0.68 BHD 0.26

$0.70 ฿23.40

-2.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 BHD 0.10

$0.31 ฿10.24

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 BHD 1.94

$2.41 ฿80.4

113.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 BHD 1.95

$3.71 ฿124

39.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 BHD 0.53

$1.95 ฿65.3

-28.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 BHD 0.41

$1.41 ฿47.03

-22.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 BHD 0.64

$1.31 ฿43.62

30.53%

Eggs

$2.30 BHD 0.87

$2.18 ฿72.9

5.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 BHD 2.52

$16.65 ฿556

-59.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 BHD 2.43

$2.76 ฿92.2

133.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.36 BHD 3.15

$9.11 ฿304

-8.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 BHD 0.86

$2.39 ฿80.0

-4.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 BHD 0.88

$1.03 ฿34.26

126.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 BHD 0.71

$1.63 ฿54.4

15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 BHD 0.54

$1.50 ฿50.0

-4.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 BHD 0.38

$1.29 ฿43.13

-22.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 BHD 0.46

$1.11 ฿37.03

9.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 BHD 0.58

$0.72 ฿24.08

115.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 BHD 0.31

$0.53 ฿17.59

54.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.45 BHD 2.06

$4.31 ฿144

26.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.90 BHD 7.13

$17.95 ฿600

5.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.67 BHD 1.39

$1.58 ฿52.9

132.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 BHD 1.01

$2.84 ฿95.0

-5.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 BHD 0.32

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.69 BHD 9.70

$53.3 ฿1,780

-51.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 BHD 1.30

$1.21 ฿40.29

185.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.38 BHD 1.28

$0.57 ฿18.99

492.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.16 BHD 6.10

$2.35 ฿78.6

587.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.34 BHD 0.13

$1.44 ฿47.96

-76.39%

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

$26.3K BHD 9,939

$20.7K ฿692.8K

27.04%

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

$19.3K BHD 7,282

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-28.01%

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

$115 BHD 43.27

$62.3 ฿2,083

83.96%

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

$24.10 BHD 9.10

$12.11 ฿405

99.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.66 BHD 11.95

$19.94 ฿666

58.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 BHD 20.29

$37.07 ฿1,239

45.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.67 BHD 14.97

$3.78 ฿126

949.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 BHD 3.43

$6.50 ฿217

39.85%

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

$234 BHD 88.3

$793 ฿26.5K

-70.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K BHD 4,092

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-26.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.95 BHD 16.21

$53.7 ฿1,796

-20.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.94 BHD 12.06

$24.62 ฿823

29.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.5 BHD 25.09

$90.9 ฿3,036

-26.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.5 BHD 24.70

$71.1 ฿2,378

-8.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$968 BHD 365

$455 ฿15.2K

112.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$740 BHD 279

$298 ฿9,954

148.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,741 BHD 657

$908 ฿30.4K

91.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 BHD 449

$554 ฿18.5K

114.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,086 BHD 787

$1,931 ฿64.5K

8.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,582 BHD 597

$1,445 ฿48.3K

9.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,756 BHD 1,040

$591 ฿19.7K

366.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

5.57

11.49%

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

Last update for Juffair: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Juffair

$740 48.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 59.8% $442

Groceries & Markets

Juffair

$241 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 2.4% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Juffair

$170 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 44.6% $76

Eating Out

Juffair

$164 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 52.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Juffair

$93 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 16.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Juffair

$72 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 30.4% $22

Getting Around

Juffair

$49 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 22.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $968 in Juffair versus $455 in Chiang Mai. 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 366% higher in Juffair, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Juffair versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Juffair

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

00:14 12:14 AM

4 h ahead of Juffair

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

147,074

127,240

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BHD – Bahraini Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇭 Bahraini Dinar (.د.ب)

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Juffair
Chiang Mai

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

Juffair vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Juffair costs about 65% 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 $2,296 per month in Juffair and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $234 per month in Juffair and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Juffair, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Juffair at $1,530. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Juffair it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,530 in Juffair. 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 Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Juffair makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.