Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanur, Bali and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,071 in Sanur, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sanur, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

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

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sanur, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,071

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,071 per month in Sanur, Bali vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sanur, Bali $1,071
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,789 per month in Sanur, Bali vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sanur, Bali $1,789
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,508 per month in Sanur, Bali vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sanur, Bali $2,508
Chiang Mai $1,999

Sanur, Bali costs about 14% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sanur, Bali and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sanur, Bali 21% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.60 Rp 47.2K

$2.13 ฿72.0

22.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.71 Rp 484.6K

$18.62 ฿628

43.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.35 Rp 78.9K

$5.60 ฿189

-22.32%

Cappuccino

$2.14 Rp 38.7K

$1.66 ฿56.1

28.92%

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

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

$0.65 ฿21.83

96.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,274

$0.30 ฿10.29

70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 Rp 38.5K

$2.32 ฿78.4

-8.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 Rp 63.5K

$3.67 ฿124

-4.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 Rp 24.1K

$2.02 ฿68.0

-34.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 Rp 37.4K

$1.41 ฿47.51

46.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 Rp 18.3K

$1.39 ฿46.96

-27.34%

Eggs

$1.83 Rp 33.1K

$2.37 ฿79.9

-22.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 Rp 257.4K

$16.52 ฿557

-14.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.53 Rp 64.0K

$2.67 ฿90.1

32.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.32 Rp 187.1K

$9.02 ฿304

14.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 Rp 59.8K

$2.40 ฿80.9

37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

$1.04 ฿35.13

32.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 Rp 38.4K

$1.66 ฿56.0

27.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.8K

$1.56 ฿52.6

16.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

$1.24 ฿41.76

30.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 Rp 39.4K

$1.09 ฿36.66

99.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

$0.76 ฿25.70

18.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 8,000

$0.51 ฿17.35

-13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.01 Rp 36.5K

$4.12 ฿139

-51.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 Rp 360.6K

$17.93 ฿605

10.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 Rp 37.2K

$1.62 ฿54.8

26.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 Rp 49.0K

$2.82 ฿95.2

-4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,379

$0.93 ฿31.53

-74.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.24 Rp 149.5K

$52.9 ฿1,785

-84.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 Rp 8,293

$1.18 ฿39.70

-61.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,570

$0.17 ฿5.79

147.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 Rp 106.5K

$1.81 ฿61.1

224.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.5K

$1.47 ฿49.69

-42.18%

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

$22.6K Rp 410.6M

$21.0K ฿708.9K

7.73%

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

$31.0K Rp 561.5M

$26.5K ฿894.6K

16.74%

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

$72.8 Rp 1.3M

$62.6 ฿2,111

16.42%

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

$6.04 Rp 109.6K

$11.60 ฿392

-47.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.22 Rp 330.5K

$20.30 ฿685

-10.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.52 Rp 698.8K

$37.88 ฿1,278

1.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.29 Rp 241.0K

$3.70 ฿125

259.19%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 Rp 58.0K

$6.51 ฿220

-50.84%

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

$438 Rp 7.9M

$727 ฿24.5K

-39.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K Rp 198.2M

$16.6K ฿559.2K

-34.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.16 Rp 746.7K

$53.5 ฿1,807

-23.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.28 Rp 585.5K

$24.80 ฿837

30.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$90.4 ฿3,050

-21.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 Rp 1.3M

$72.0 ฿2,428

0.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 Rp 14.8M

$481 ฿16.2K

69.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 Rp 8.8M

$310 ฿10.5K

55.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,663 Rp 48.3M

$1,058 ฿35.7K

151.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 Rp 21.8M

$659 ฿22.2K

82.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,743 Rp 31.6M

$2,418 ฿81.6K

-27.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,622 Rp 29.4M

$1,609 ฿54.3K

0.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

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 Sanur, Bali: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sanur, Bali

$483 45.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 35.8% $173

Groceries & Markets

Sanur, Bali

$252 23.6%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 6.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Sanur, Bali

$97 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 11.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanur, Bali

$97 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 2.7% $2.6

Eating Out

Sanur, Bali

$84 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 9.1% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sanur, Bali

$45 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 13.3% $6

Getting Around

Sanur, Bali

$12 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 399% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $814 in Sanur, Bali versus $481 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 $27 in Sanur, Bali versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Sanur, Bali

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

03:14 3:14 AM

1 h behind Sanur, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,286 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Sanur, 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

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

Sanur, Bali costs about 14% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,606 per month in Sanur, Bali 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $814 in Sanur, Bali.

Kindergarten costs $438 per month in Sanur, Bali and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Sanur, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,071 in Sanur, Bali and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,071 in Sanur, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.