Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

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

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,314 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,260 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Chiang Mai $1,914

Ubud, Bali costs about 46% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ubud, Bali sits 1% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$2.26 ฿75.4

47.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$19.18 ฿641

83.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$5.59 ฿187

3.76%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$1.72 ฿57.6

58.72%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$0.64 ฿21.54

156.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.33 ฿11.18

151.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$2.36 ฿78.7

14.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$3.90 ฿130

10.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$2.05 ฿68.6

-26.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$1.40 ฿46.70

64.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.28 ฿42.89

-7.81%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$2.25 ฿75.3

-4.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$16.94 ฿566

3.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$2.74 ฿91.6

47.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

$9.36 ฿313

30.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$2.40 ฿80.3

47.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.01 ฿33.92

55.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$1.61 ฿53.9

39.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$1.52 ฿50.7

26.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$1.28 ฿42.90

46.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$1.11 ฿37.22

106.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$0.72 ฿24.09

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$0.52 ฿17.54

1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$4.33 ฿145

-47.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$17.73 ฿593

29.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$1.63 ฿54.4

43.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$2.85 ฿95.3

2.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

$0.85 ฿28.31

-71.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-83.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$1.17 ฿39.18

-58.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$0.57 ฿19.00

-19.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

$2.37 ฿79.2

129.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$1.45 ฿48.32

-39.31%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

19.98%

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

17.63%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$62.3 ฿2,083

33.18%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$12.27 ฿410

-47.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$19.97 ฿668

-7.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$37.91 ฿1,267

47.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

$3.76 ฿126

381.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$6.71 ฿224

-34.72%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$797 ฿26.6K

-38.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-61.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-13.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$25.05 ฿837

41.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$91.6 ฿3,062

-13.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$73.5 ฿2,455

6.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

$464 ฿15.5K

146.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

$305 ฿10.2K

121.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

$915 ฿30.6K

282.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

$552 ฿18.5K

207.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

45.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

55.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$595 ฿19.9K

-72.35%

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 Ubud, Bali: 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

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 54.9% $371

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 18.1% $52

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 27.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 12.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 1.8% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 20.5% $13

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 389% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali 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 262% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

11:20 11:20 AM

1 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Chiang Mai 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, 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

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

Ubud, Bali costs about 46% 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 $2,051 per month in Ubud, Bali 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 $493 per month in Ubud, Bali 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 22% more in Ubud, Bali, 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 Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. 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, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.