Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sitrah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sitrah: $812 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

39

Cost of Living Index in Sitrah
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Sitrah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sitrah

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$812

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $812 per month in Sitrah vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sitrah $812
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,288 per month in Sitrah vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sitrah $1,288
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,764 per month in Sitrah vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sitrah $1,764
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sitrah is about 13% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sitrah and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sitrah 40% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.17 BHD 1.95

$2.24 ฿75.5

130.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.8 BHD 19.91

$19.00 ฿640

177.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.34 BHD 2.77

$5.55 ฿187

32.25%

Cappuccino

$4.81 BHD 1.81

$1.67 ฿56.4

188.02%

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

$0.89 BHD 0.33

$0.64 ฿21.51

39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 BHD 0.12

$0.31 ฿10.29

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 BHD 2.52

$2.36 ฿79.5

183.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 BHD 3.79

$3.66 ฿123

174.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 BHD 0.54

$1.95 ฿65.7

-26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 BHD 0.40

$1.44 ฿48.41

-25.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 BHD 0.85

$1.33 ฿44.97

69.92%

Eggs

$2.25 BHD 0.85

$2.28 ฿77.0

-1.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 BHD 3.34

$16.45 ฿554

-46.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 BHD 2.47

$2.78 ฿93.8

135.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.55 BHD 3.22

$9.31 ฿314

-8.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 BHD 0.91

$2.35 ฿79.3

2.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 BHD 0.84

$0.97 ฿32.75

129.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 BHD 0.70

$1.60 ฿53.8

16.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 BHD 0.52

$1.50 ฿50.6

-8.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 BHD 0.38

$1.28 ฿43.06

-21.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 BHD 0.52

$1.10 ฿37.14

24.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 BHD 0.59

$0.71 ฿23.79

119.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BHD 0.31

$0.49 ฿16.34

69.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.24 BHD 1.98

$4.14 ฿140

26.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.44 BHD 6.96

$17.52 ฿590

5.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 BHD 1.37

$1.61 ฿54.4

125.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 BHD 1.02

$2.78 ฿93.8

-2.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.28 BHD 1.99

$1.16 ฿39.00

355.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.51 BHD 1.33

$0.53 ฿17.78

562.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.67 BHD 5.91

$2.42 ฿81.6

547.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 BHD 0.25

$1.45 ฿48.82

-54.48%

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

$26.0K BHD 9,808

$21.1K ฿709.7K

23.47%

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

$19.8K BHD 7,452

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-26.67%

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

$151 BHD 56.8

$62.2 ฿2,095

142.24%

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

$24.19 BHD 9.13

$12.17 ฿410

98.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.37 BHD 13.34

$20.12 ฿678

75.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.73 BHD 4.05

$6.49 ฿219

65.33%

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

$629 BHD 237

$736 ฿24.8K

-14.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K BHD 4,072

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-26.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 BHD 19.01

$53.4 ฿1,799

-5.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 BHD 21.88

$24.64 ฿830

135.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 BHD 32.83

$91.5 ฿3,083

-4.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 BHD 33.58

$71.9 ฿2,424

23.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,059 BHD 400

$590 ฿19.9K

79.62%

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 Sitrah: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sitrah

$250 30.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 6.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sitrah

$210 25.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.1% $116

Eating Out

Sitrah

$179 22.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 56.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Sitrah

$128 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 15.1% $19

Getting Around

Sitrah

$23 * 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 169% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Sitrah

$21 * 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 134% $29

Accommodation & Living

Sitrah

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 80% higher in Sitrah, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Sitrah versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Sitrah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

13:28 1:28 PM

4 h ahead of Sitrah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,000

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 = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Sitrah
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Sitrah, 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 $1,218 per month in Sitrah and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $812 in Sitrah to $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.