Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manama and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,552 in Manama, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Manama
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Manama Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,552

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,552 per month in Manama vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Manama $1,552
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,482 per month in Manama vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Manama $2,482
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,412 per month in Manama vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Manama $3,412
Chiang Mai $1,914

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

Manama sits 15% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.36 BHD 2.02

$2.26 ฿75.4

137.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 BHD 20.15

$19.18 ฿641

178.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.39 BHD 2.79

$5.59 ฿187

32.20%

Cappuccino

$4.91 BHD 1.85

$1.72 ฿57.6

185.47%

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

$0.90 BHD 0.34

$0.64 ฿21.54

40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 BHD 0.11

$0.33 ฿11.18

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.44 BHD 2.43

$2.36 ฿78.7

172.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.13 BHD 3.82

$3.90 ฿130

159.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 BHD 0.53

$2.05 ฿68.6

-32.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 BHD 0.41

$1.40 ฿46.70

-22.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 BHD 0.85

$1.28 ฿42.89

76.56%

Eggs

$2.32 BHD 0.87

$2.25 ฿75.3

3.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 BHD 3.19

$16.94 ฿566

-50.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.55 BHD 2.47

$2.74 ฿91.6

139.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.52 BHD 3.21

$9.36 ฿313

-8.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 BHD 0.90

$2.40 ฿80.3

-0.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 BHD 0.84

$1.01 ฿33.92

120.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 BHD 0.72

$1.61 ฿53.9

18.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 BHD 0.52

$1.52 ฿50.7

-8.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 BHD 0.38

$1.28 ฿42.90

-21.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 BHD 0.53

$1.11 ฿37.22

27.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 BHD 0.58

$0.72 ฿24.09

112.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 BHD 0.30

$0.52 ฿17.54

51.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.44 BHD 2.05

$4.33 ฿145

25.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 BHD 7.03

$17.73 ฿593

5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 BHD 1.34

$1.63 ฿54.4

117.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 BHD 0.99

$2.85 ฿95.3

-7.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 BHD 0.24

$0.85 ฿28.31

-24.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.77 BHD 14.25

$53.9 ฿1,801

-29.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 BHD 2.02

$1.17 ฿39.18

358.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.51 BHD 1.33

$0.57 ฿19.00

515.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.94 BHD 6.02

$2.37 ฿79.2

572.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.70 BHD 0.26

$1.45 ฿48.32

-51.72%

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

$36.6K BHD 13.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

78.58%

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

$20.6K BHD 7,776

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-22.29%

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

$154 BHD 58.1

$62.3 ฿2,083

147.10%

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

$24.90 BHD 9.40

$12.27 ฿410

102.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.92 BHD 13.18

$19.97 ฿668

74.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.0 BHD 23.41

$37.91 ฿1,267

63.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.30 BHD 11.44

$3.76 ฿126

705.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 BHD 4.02

$6.71 ฿224

58.87%

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

$480 BHD 181

$797 ฿26.6K

-39.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K BHD 4,089

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-26.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 BHD 19.10

$53.3 ฿1,780

-4.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 BHD 22.11

$25.05 ฿837

133.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 BHD 33.31

$91.6 ฿3,062

-3.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 BHD 33.55

$73.5 ฿2,455

21.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 BHD 382

$464 ฿15.5K

117.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 BHD 239

$305 ฿10.2K

107.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 BHD 763

$915 ฿30.6K

120.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 BHD 529

$552 ฿18.5K

153.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,620 BHD 989

$1,912 ฿63.9K

37.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,970 BHD 744

$1,438 ฿48.1K

36.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,308 BHD 871

$595 ฿19.9K

287.72%

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 Manama: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manama

$633 40.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 51.9% $329

Groceries & Markets

Manama

$248 16%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 4.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manama

$214 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 55.8% $119

Eating Out

Manama

$181 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 56.4% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Manama

$129 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 15% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Manama

$83 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 38.4% $32

Getting Around

Manama

$63 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 3.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,011 in Manama versus $464 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 288% higher in Manama, 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 $53.0 in Manama versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $248 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Manama

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:00 11:00 PM

03:00 3:00 AM

4 h ahead of Manama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,474 Capital

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Manama
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

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

Manama 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 $2,328 per month in Manama and $1,408 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 $480 per month in Manama and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Manama, 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 $938, than in Manama at $1,552. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manama it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,552 in Manama. 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, Manama makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.