Ubud vs Chiang Mai
The short answer
Chiang Mai is the cheaper trip, by roughly 35% a day — $25–55 against $40–85 mid-range per person. They want different months: Ubud is at its best Apr–Oct, Chiang Mai Nov–Feb — which may settle it on its own.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see how we work these out.
| 🇮🇩 Ubud | 🇹🇭 Chiang Mai | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $40–85 | $25–55cheaper |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $1.50–3 | $1–2.50cheaper |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $35–80 | $30–70cheaper |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $1.50 | $0.30–1cheaper |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $230 | ≈ $450 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇮🇩 Ubud
Bali's green heart: rice terraces stepping down the valleys, a temple every hundred meters, monkeys with a crime syndicate, and more yoga mats per capita than anywhere on earth.
- Campuhan Ridge Walk$Sights & walks
- Warung Babi Guling Ibu Oka$Restaurants & cafés
- The Yoga Barn$$Wellness & culture
- Tegallalang Rice Terraces$Sights & walks
- Warung Biah Biah$Restaurants & cafés
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
Northern Thailand's cultural heart — a moated Old City of hundreds of temples, misty mountains, laptop-friendly cafés, and a slower, cheaper pace than Bangkok's chaos.
- Zoe in Yellow$Nightlife
- Khao Soi Mae Sai$Restaurants
- North Gate Jazz Co-Op$Live music
- Spicy$$Nightlife
- Huen Phen$$Restaurants
Practicalities
| Ubud | Chiang Mai | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Indonesian and Balinese; English fluent across the tourist core | Thai, with a distinct Northern Thai (Kham Mueang) dialect spoken locally. English is common in the Old City, Nimman, and cafés; sparser outside them. |
| Currency | Indonesian rupiah (Rp). US$1 ≈ Rp 16,000 | Thai baht (฿). US$1 ≈ ฿35 |
| Time zone | WITA (UTC+8) | ICT (UTC+7) |
| Power | Type C/F plugs, 230V | 220V; outlets take most two-pin plugs (A/C hybrids) |
| Tap water | Not drinkable — most cafés and guesthouses run refill stations, so carry a bottle | Don't drink it — bottled and filtered water is everywhere and cheap |
| Emergency | 112 general · 118 ambulance · serious cases go to Denpasar's hospitals, ~1 hour | 191 police · 1669 ambulance · 1155 tourist police (English) |