✦ Compare
Bali vs
Chiang Mai
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Bali, ID vs Chiang Mai, TH at a glance — Chiang Mai, TH is 5% more expensive than Bali, ID overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $450/mo versus $600/mo. Top income tax: 35% vs 35%.
To keep the same standard of living in Chiang Mai, TH, you'd need
$79,002 / year
Chiang Mai, TH is 5% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Chiang Mai, TH vs Bali, ID)
- Housing+5%
- Food & groceries0%
- Transport+9%
- Utilities+18%
- Healthcare+22%
- Goods & services0%
◎ How Bali, ID and Chiang Mai, TH compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Bali, ID | Chiang Mai, TH | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 46 | 49 |
| Housing | 40 | 42 |
| Food | 45 | 45 |
| Transport | 35 | 38 |
| Utilities | 55 | 65 |
| Healthcare | 45 | 55 |
| Goods & services | 55 | 55 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $600/mo | $450/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $350/mo | $300/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,200/mo | $900/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $2,000 | $1,800 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $2,169 | $2,059 |
| Inexpensive meal | $3 | $3 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 35% | 35% |
| VAT / sales tax | 11% | 7% |
| Corporate tax | 22% | 20% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $300/mo | $800/mo |
| Minimum wage | $200/mo | $300/mo |
| GDP per capita | $4,981✓ | $8,057✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.8%✓ | -0.1%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Moderate | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 40 | 50 |
| Time zone | UTC+8 | UTC+7 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 48 | 53 |
| Safety index | 60 | 65 |
| Healthcare index | 55 | 70 |
| Pollution index | 55 | 70 |
| Internet speed | 25 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 35 | 45 |
| Public transport | 20 | 30 |
| Family-friendly | 60 | 62 |
| Tap water | Use caution | Use caution |
| Life expectancy | 71 yr✓ | 77 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Low | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +27 °C | +22 °C |
| July avg | +27 °C | +28 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 240 | 240 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,700 mm | 1,150 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Indonesia vs Thailand. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Bali vs Chiang Mai — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Bali
The world's default digital-nomad island — Canggu cafés, Ubud rice terraces and Bukit surf breaks. Very low costs and a huge remote-work community, tempered by scooter-only transport, patchy infrastructure and visa runs.
- Currency
- Indonesian rupiah (Rp IDR)
- Languages
- Indonesian
- Time zone
- UTC+8
- Internet
- 25 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 60/100
- Climate
- ❄ 27°C · ☀ 27°C · 240 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- C/F · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Canggu · Ubud · Seminyak · Sanur
Good to know before you move to Chiang Mai
The original budget-nomad capital — temples, mountains and Nimman's café-coworking strip at some of Asia's lowest costs. The trade-off is the March–April burning season, when air quality collapses.
- Currency
- Thai baht (฿ THB)
- Languages
- Thai
- Time zone
- UTC+7
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 65/100
- Climate
- ❄ 22°C · ☀ 28°C · 240 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- A/B/C · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Nimman · Old City · Santitham · Hang Dong
Plan your move to Bali
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Scooter rentalBikesBooking
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Chiang Mai
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Scooter rentalBikesBooking
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Bali to Chiang Mai: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Bali to Chiang Mai, your cost of living will be roughly 5% more expensive. Chiang Mai’s cost-of-living index is 49 versus 46 for Bali (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Bali cheaper than Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai is about 5% more expensive than Bali overall — its cost-of-living index is 49 versus 46 for Bali.
Which is more expensive, Bali or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai is more expensive than Bali. Its cost-of-living index is 49 vs 46 (US = 100) — about 7% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Bali or Chiang Mai?
Rent is cheaper in Chiang Mai — about $450/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $600 in Bali.
How much do you need to earn in Chiang Mai to live like in Bali?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Bali is worth about $79,002 in Chiang Mai. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Bali or Chiang Mai?
Indonesia has the lower top income-tax rate — 35% versus 35% in Thailand.
◷ More comparisons from Bali
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.