Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chiang Mai vs. Bali Cost of Living Summary
Chiang Mai is 27.0% more expensive than Bali.
Chiang Mai vs. Bali Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chiang Mai instead of Bali, you would:
pay 2.9% less for restaurants
Bali | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $2.98 IDR53,239.66 | $2.02 THB67.29 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $4.17 IDR74,535.52 | $8.05 THB268.66 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.18 IDR20,995.84 | $0.79 THB26.47 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.56 IDR10,026.80 | $0.34 THB11.34 | |
Bali vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
pay 20.0% less for groceries
Bali | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.32 IDR41,366.35 | $1.58 THB52.80 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $7.83 IDR140K | $8.36 THB279.30 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $6.60 IDR118K | $6.70 THB223.71 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.18 IDR38,942.40 | $2.07 THB69.02 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $1.75 IDR31,168.44 | $1.36 THB45.45 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.50 IDR26,874.07 | $1.33 THB44.48 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.66 IDR11,873.92 | $0.53 THB17.57 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.16 IDR20,689.28 | $0.79 THB26.46 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.22 IDR21,745.38 | $0.74 THB24.85 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.85 IDR15,158.99 | $0.64 THB21.48 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.95 IDR16,944.11 | $0.55 THB18.28 | |
Bali vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of groceries
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
pay 93.0% more for transportation
Bali | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.04 IDR54,226.67 | $4.83 THB161.29 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $8.29 IDR148K | $19.14 THB639.18 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $25,369.74 IDR453M | $22,478.88 THB751K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $4.07 IDR72,750.49 | $11.94 THB398.59 | |
Bali vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of transportation
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
pay 37.6% less for housing
Bali | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $22.24 IDR397K | $19.34 THB645.70 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $941.26 IDR17M | $440.41 THB14,705.47 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $655.25 IDR12M | $249.32 THB8,324.94 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $65.74 IDR1M | $51.23 THB1,710.70 | |
Bali vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of housing
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
Bali | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $264.18 IDR5M | $644.65 THB21,525.39 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $5,829.73 IDR104M | $15,231.38 THB509K | |
Bali vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of childcare
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
pay 8.3% more for entertainment and sports
Bali | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.53 IDR45,253.71 | $2.25 THB75.06 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $2.34 IDR41,770.38 | $1.90 THB63.60 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $2.23 IDR39,903.54 | $4.34 THB144.94 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $78.64 IDR1M | $35.28 THB1,177.90 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $3.88 IDR69,211.55 | $5.12 THB170.82 | |
Bali vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
pay 4.6% less for clothing
Bali | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $50.94 IDR910K | $62.01 THB2,070.58 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $35.42 IDR633K | $19.90 THB664.31 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $84.41 IDR2M | $93.02 THB3,105.87 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $71.76 IDR1M | $67.18 THB2,243.13 | |
Bali vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of clothing
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: Bali vs. Chiang Mai
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the cost of living in Indonesia vs. Thailand. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Indonesia and Thailand.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Chiang Mai or Bali. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.

