Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Chiang Rai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Rai: $713 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Rai
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Chiang Rai Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Chiang Rai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Chiang Rai

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 Rai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $713 in Chiang Rai.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Chiang Rai $713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,132 in Chiang Rai.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Chiang Rai $1,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,551 in Chiang Rai.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Chiang Rai $1,551

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 90% more expensive than in Chiang Rai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Chiang Rai is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$2.21 ฿74.0

46.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$15.02 ฿502

132.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$5.45 ฿182

4.59%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$1.31 ฿43.76

100.00%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$0.62 ฿20.71

177.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.27 ฿8.96

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$1.61 ฿53.9

64.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$3.62 ฿121

20.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.97 ฿66.0

-20.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.41 ฿47.09

55.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.17 ฿39.25

0.85%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$1.87 ฿62.5

15.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$16.72 ฿559

5.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$2.73 ฿91.2

38.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$9.35 ฿312

27.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$2.42 ฿80.8

48.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$0.86 ฿28.67

84.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$1.53 ฿51.3

50.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$0.87 ฿28.95

119.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$1.29 ฿43.27

37.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$1.08 ฿35.97

115.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$0.72 ฿24.19

38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$0.52 ฿17.39

1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$3.78 ฿126

-39.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$17.54 ฿586

25.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$1.59 ฿53.0

47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$2.87 ฿96.0

3.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$0.83 ฿27.77

-72.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$22.15 ฿740

-59.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$1.18 ฿39.43

-60.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$0.56 ฿18.76

-23.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$2.37 ฿79.2

130.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.37 ฿45.62

-39.42%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$20.9K ฿698.8K

14.19%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$27.1K ฿906.6K

20.85%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$61.5 ฿2,055

30.07%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$12.14 ฿406

-45.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$13.57 ฿454

37.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$35.83 ฿1,197

51.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$5.80 ฿194

215.17%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$2.89 ฿96.7

47.06%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$770 ฿25.7K

-36.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$14.6K ฿487.9K

-61.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$54.6 ฿1,824

-16.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$25.10 ฿839

39.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$74.9 ฿2,502

3.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$73.1 ฿2,444

7.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$229 ฿7,669

393.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$154 ฿5,141

337.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$502 ฿16.8K

619.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$355 ฿11.9K

379.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$1,910 ฿63.8K

42.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$955 ฿31.9K

134.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$585 ฿19.6K

-71.56%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Rai: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Chiang Rai

$154 21.6% 77.1% $519

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Chiang Rai

$230 32.2% 20.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Chiang Rai

$102 14.4% 3.8% $4.1

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Chiang Rai

$69 9.6% 35.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Chiang Rai

$87 12.2% 17.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Chiang Rai

$42 5.8% 33.5% $21

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Chiang Rai

$29 4.1% 137% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $229 in Chiang Rai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Rai pays 252% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $15.00 in Chiang Rai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $230 per month, with Chiang Rai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇹🇭 Chiang Rai

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

12:18 12:18 PM

1 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

77,672

💱 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 25, 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 25, 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 Rai 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Chiang Rai

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 Rai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali and Chiang Rai differ by about 90% in total monthly costs ($1,353 vs $713 including rent). Chiang Rai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 252% lower in Chiang Rai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $229 in Chiang Rai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $770 in Chiang Rai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $713 in Chiang Rai versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Rai but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Rai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Chiang Rai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Rai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.