Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuta, Bali and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,212 in Kuta, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Kuta, Bali
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Kuta, Bali Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kuta, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,212

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,212 per month in Kuta, Bali vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kuta, Bali $1,212
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,042 per month in Kuta, Bali vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kuta, Bali $2,042
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,872 per month in Kuta, Bali vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kuta, Bali $2,872
Chiang Mai $1,903

Kuta, Bali costs about 31% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kuta, Bali and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kuta, Bali 11% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 Rp 53.5K

$2.29 ฿76.5

29.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.91 Rp 556.3K

$19.64 ฿656

57.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 Rp 90.3K

$5.61 ฿188

-10.52%

Cappuccino

$2.37 Rp 42.6K

$1.66 ฿55.6

42.77%

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

$1.44 Rp 26.0K

$0.70 ฿23.40

105.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 Rp 11.9K

$0.31 ฿10.24

112.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$2.41 ฿80.4

-4.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 Rp 70.2K

$3.71 ฿124

5.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 Rp 25.9K

$1.95 ฿65.3

-26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 Rp 37.7K

$1.41 ฿47.03

48.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 Rp 20.9K

$1.31 ฿43.62

-11.45%

Eggs

$2.03 Rp 36.6K

$2.18 ฿72.9

-6.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.43 Rp 295.8K

$16.65 ฿556

-1.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.72 Rp 66.9K

$2.76 ฿92.2

34.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.63 Rp 209.3K

$9.11 ฿304

27.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 Rp 60.7K

$2.39 ฿80.0

41.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.3K

$1.03 ฿34.26

47.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 Rp 39.0K

$1.63 ฿54.4

33.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

$1.50 ฿50.0

22.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 Rp 31.5K

$1.29 ฿43.13

35.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$1.11 ฿37.03

105.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$0.72 ฿24.08

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,228

$0.53 ฿17.59

-3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.12 Rp 38.2K

$4.31 ฿144

-50.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.73 Rp 391.1K

$17.95 ฿600

21.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 Rp 40.5K

$1.58 ฿52.9

42.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 Rp 50.5K

$2.84 ฿95.0

-1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,476

$0.86 ฿28.86

-70.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.75 Rp 157.5K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-83.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 Rp 8,779

$1.21 ฿40.29

-59.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 Rp 8,665

$0.57 ฿18.99

-15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 Rp 48.5K

$2.35 ฿78.6

14.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

$1.44 ฿47.96

-35.42%

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

$26.1K Rp 469.9M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

25.93%

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

$35.9K Rp 646.9M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

34.11%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$62.3 ฿2,083

28.33%

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

$6.35 Rp 114.2K

$12.11 ฿405

-47.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.42 Rp 331.5K

$19.94 ฿666

-7.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 Rp 872.5K

$37.07 ฿1,239

30.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.64 Rp 281.5K

$3.78 ฿126

313.76%

Cinema Ticket

$3.85 Rp 69.2K

$6.50 ฿217

-40.77%

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

$448 Rp 8.1M

$793 ฿26.5K

-43.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,127 Rp 92.3M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-65.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.03 Rp 810.6K

$53.7 ฿1,796

-16.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.68 Rp 624.2K

$24.62 ฿823

40.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 Rp 1.4M

$90.9 ฿3,036

-12.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.1 Rp 1.4M

$71.1 ฿2,378

8.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 Rp 16.5M

$455 ฿15.2K

101.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 Rp 10.1M

$298 ฿9,954

88.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,936 Rp 52.8M

$908 ฿30.4K

223.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 Rp 25.5M

$554 ฿18.5K

156.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,244 Rp 40.4M

$1,931 ฿64.5K

16.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,869 Rp 33.6M

$1,445 ฿48.3K

29.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.57

147.40%

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

Last update for Kuta, Bali: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuta, Bali

$563 46.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 47.1% $265

Groceries & Markets

Kuta, Bali

$275 22.7%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 14.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Kuta, Bali

$106 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 1.7% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuta, Bali

$105 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 9.9% $10

Eating Out

Kuta, Bali

$95 7.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 17.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Kuta, Bali

$56 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 10.9% $6.1

Getting Around

Kuta, Bali

$13 1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 381% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $919 in Kuta, Bali 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Kuta, Bali versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Kuta, Bali

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

1 h behind Kuta, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,304

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Kuta, Bali
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

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

Kuta, Bali costs about 31% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,818 per month in Kuta, Bali 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 $448 per month in Kuta, Bali 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 17% more in Kuta, Bali, 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 Kuta, Bali at $1,212. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuta, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,212 in Kuta, 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 Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuta, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.