Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madinat Hamad and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,197 in Madinat Hamad, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Madinat Hamad
Learn more

Madinat Hamad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Madinat Hamad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,197

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,197 per month in Madinat Hamad vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Madinat Hamad $1,197
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,909 per month in Madinat Hamad vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Madinat Hamad $1,909
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,620 per month in Madinat Hamad vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Madinat Hamad $2,620
Chiang Mai $1,979

Madinat Hamad costs about 28% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Madinat Hamad and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Madinat Hamad 12% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.71 BHD 1.02

$2.24 ฿75.7

20.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 BHD 19.87

$19.00 ฿642

177.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 BHD 2.84

$5.55 ฿188

35.50%

Cappuccino

$2.62 BHD 0.99

$1.67 ฿56.6

56.89%

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

$0.89 BHD 0.34

$0.64 ฿21.56

39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 BHD 0.12

$0.31 ฿10.32

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.70 BHD 2.53

$2.36 ฿79.6

183.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.00 BHD 3.77

$3.66 ฿124

173.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 BHD 0.52

$1.95 ฿65.8

-29.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 BHD 0.41

$1.44 ฿48.51

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 BHD 0.89

$1.33 ฿45.07

77.44%

Eggs

$2.06 BHD 0.78

$2.28 ฿77.1

-9.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 BHD 3.25

$16.45 ฿556

-47.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 BHD 2.49

$2.78 ฿94.0

137.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.52 BHD 3.21

$9.31 ฿314

-8.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BHD 0.81

$2.35 ฿79.5

-8.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 BHD 0.60

$0.97 ฿32.82

64.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 BHD 0.70

$1.60 ฿53.9

16.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 BHD 0.51

$1.50 ฿50.7

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 BHD 0.40

$1.28 ฿43.15

-17.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 BHD 0.41

$1.10 ฿37.22

-1.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 BHD 0.56

$0.71 ฿23.84

109.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 BHD 0.19

$0.49 ฿16.38

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.33 BHD 2.01

$4.14 ฿140

28.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.66 BHD 7.04

$17.52 ฿592

6.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 BHD 1.31

$1.61 ฿54.5

116.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 BHD 1.03

$2.78 ฿94.0

-2.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 BHD 0.26

$0.87 ฿29.33

-20.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.02 BHD 12.83

$54.1 ฿1,827

-37.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 BHD 2.03

$1.16 ฿39.08

363.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 BHD 0.98

$0.53 ฿17.82

388.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.65 BHD 5.90

$2.42 ฿81.8

546.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.38 BHD 0.14

$1.45 ฿48.93

-73.79%

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

$26.5K BHD 9,989

$21.1K ฿711.2K

25.75%

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

$20.0K BHD 7,544

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-25.76%

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

$154 BHD 58.3

$62.2 ฿2,100

148.48%

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

$24.01 BHD 9.06

$12.17 ฿411

97.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.61 BHD 7.02

$20.12 ฿680

-7.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$118 BHD 44.59

$37.31 ฿1,260

216.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$53.3 BHD 20.10

$3.77 ฿127

1313.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 BHD 2.06

$6.49 ฿219

-15.87%

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

$631 BHD 238

$736 ฿24.9K

-14.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K BHD 4,220

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-24.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 BHD 19.31

$53.4 ฿1,802

-4.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.4 BHD 22.03

$24.64 ฿832

137.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 BHD 32.54

$91.5 ฿3,089

-5.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 BHD 33.97

$71.9 ฿2,429

25.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 BHD 150

$482 ฿16.3K

-17.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 BHD 118

$309 ฿10.4K

1.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$782 BHD 295

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-22.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 BHD 248

$633 ฿21.4K

3.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$656 BHD 248

$590 ฿19.9K

11.27%

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 Madinat Hamad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madinat Hamad

$314 26.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 1.6% $5

Groceries & Markets

Madinat Hamad

$239 20%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 1.8% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madinat Hamad

$197 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 52.1% $103

Eating Out

Madinat Hamad

$134 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 42.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Madinat Hamad

$129 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 61.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Madinat Hamad

$129 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 15.6% $20

Getting Around

Madinat Hamad

$55 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 11.3% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Madinat Hamad versus $482 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 11% higher in Madinat Hamad, 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 $53 in Madinat Hamad versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Madinat Hamad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:08 7:08 PM

23:08 11:08 PM

4 h ahead of Madinat Hamad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,350

127,240

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.38 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.42 BHD (1 BHD = 2.38 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madinat Hamad Chiang Mai 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Madinat Hamad
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

Madinat Hamad vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madinat Hamad costs about 28% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,795 per month in Madinat Hamad and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Madinat Hamad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

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

Public transport costs about 37% less in Madinat Hamad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,197 in Madinat Hamad and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,197 in Madinat Hamad. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Madinat Hamad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.