Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riffa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,211 in Riffa, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Riffa
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Riffa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Riffa

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,211

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,211 per month in Riffa vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Riffa $1,211
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Riffa vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Riffa $1,868
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,525 per month in Riffa vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Riffa $2,525
Chiang Mai $1,903

Riffa costs about 31% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 BHD 1.97

$2.29 ฿76.5

128.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.96 BHD 14.70

$19.64 ฿656

98.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.08 BHD 2.30

$5.61 ฿188

8.38%

Cappuccino

$4.04 BHD 1.52

$1.66 ฿55.6

143.37%

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)

$6.43 BHD 2.43

$2.41 ฿80.4

166.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 BHD 3.08

$3.71 ฿124

119.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 BHD 0.52

$1.95 ฿65.3

-29.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 BHD 0.24

$1.41 ฿47.03

-55.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 BHD 0.68

$1.31 ฿43.62

38.17%

Eggs

$2.30 BHD 0.87

$2.18 ฿72.9

5.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 BHD 2.96

$16.65 ฿556

-52.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.92 BHD 2.23

$2.76 ฿92.2

114.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.38 BHD 3.16

$9.11 ฿304

-8.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 BHD 0.87

$2.39 ฿80.0

-3.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 BHD 0.65

$1.03 ฿34.26

67.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 BHD 0.68

$1.63 ฿54.4

10.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 BHD 0.40

$1.50 ฿50.0

-30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 BHD 0.38

$1.29 ฿43.13

-22.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 BHD 0.25

$1.11 ฿37.03

-39.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BHD 0.20

$0.72 ฿24.08

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 BHD 0.21

$0.53 ฿17.59

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.43 BHD 2.05

$4.31 ฿144

25.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.12 BHD 4.95

$17.95 ฿600

-26.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 BHD 0.68

$1.58 ฿52.9

13.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 BHD 0.98

$2.84 ฿95.0

-8.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 BHD 0.31

$0.86 ฿28.86

-5.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.72 BHD 13.48

$53.3 ฿1,780

-32.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 BHD 2.05

$1.21 ฿40.29

349.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 BHD 1.29

$0.57 ฿18.99

500.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.40 BHD 3.93

$2.35 ฿78.6

342.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 BHD 0.19

$1.44 ฿47.96

-65.97%

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

$22.5K BHD 8,506

$20.7K ฿692.8K

8.72%

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

$20.1K BHD 7,597

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-24.89%

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

$133 BHD 50.3

$62.3 ฿2,083

113.81%

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

$24.43 BHD 9.22

$12.11 ฿405

101.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.66 BHD 13.08

$19.94 ฿666

73.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.9 BHD 27.51

$37.07 ฿1,239

96.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.45 BHD 5.08

$3.78 ฿126

255.82%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 BHD 3.97

$6.50 ฿217

61.85%

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

$481 BHD 182

$793 ฿26.5K

-39.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,589 BHD 2,109

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-62.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.99 BHD 10.94

$53.7 ฿1,796

-46.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.34 BHD 8.06

$24.62 ฿823

-13.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 BHD 25.06

$90.9 ฿3,036

-26.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.70 BHD 14.98

$71.1 ฿2,378

-44.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$916 BHD 346

$455 ฿15.2K

101.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 BHD 162

$298 ฿9,954

44.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 BHD 579

$908 ฿30.4K

69.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$862 BHD 325

$554 ฿18.5K

55.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,392 BHD 525

$591 ฿19.7K

135.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

5.57

-1.26%

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

Last update for Riffa: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riffa

$429 35.5%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 30.6% $132

Groceries & Markets

Riffa

$203 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 16.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riffa

$192 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 50.9% $98

Eating Out

Riffa

$161 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 51.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Riffa

$94 7.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 46.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Riffa

$70 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 53.6% $38

Getting Around

Riffa

$61 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1.1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $916 in Riffa 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 136% higher in Riffa, 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 $39.00 in Riffa versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $203 in Riffa vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Riffa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Riffa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

01:31 1:31 AM

4 h ahead of Riffa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,566

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Riffa Chiang Mai 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Riffa
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

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

Riffa costs about 31% 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 $1,817 per month in Riffa 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 $481 per month in Riffa and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Riffa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Riffa at $1,211. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Riffa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,211 in Riffa. 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, Riffa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.