Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balikpapan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $669 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
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Balikpapan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$669

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $669 in Balikpapan versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Balikpapan $669
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,057 in Balikpapan versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Balikpapan $1,057
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,444 in Balikpapan versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Balikpapan $1,444
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Balikpapan costs roughly 28% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Balikpapan 51% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$2.24 ฿75.5

-37.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.88 Rp 197.7K

$19.00 ฿640

-42.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$5.55 ฿187

-45.59%

Cappuccino

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$1.67 ฿56.4

-19.76%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,320

$0.64 ฿21.51

-45.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,034

$0.31 ฿10.29

25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 Rp 40.8K

$2.36 ฿79.5

-4.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 Rp 63.7K

$3.66 ฿123

-4.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

$1.95 ฿65.7

-42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 Rp 19.1K

$1.44 ฿48.41

-27.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.3K

$1.33 ฿44.97

-12.03%

Eggs

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

$2.28 ฿77.0

6.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 Rp 129.7K

$16.45 ฿554

-56.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.98 Rp 54.1K

$2.78 ฿93.8

7.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 Rp 156.8K

$9.31 ฿314

-7.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

$2.35 ฿79.3

-7.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 Rp 23.7K

$0.97 ฿32.75

35.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

$1.60 ฿53.8

-3.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.50 ฿50.6

-20.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

$1.28 ฿43.06

-6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 Rp 35.5K

$1.10 ฿37.14

77.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

$0.71 ฿23.79

18.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

$0.49 ฿16.34

46.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 Rp 32.2K

$4.14 ฿140

-57.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.12 Rp 383.5K

$17.52 ฿590

20.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 Rp 32.6K

$1.61 ฿54.4

11.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 54.0K

$2.78 ฿93.8

7.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,151

$0.87 ฿29.27

-73.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.50 Rp 208.8K

$54.1 ฿1,823

-78.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

$1.16 ฿39.00

-4.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 Rp 5,189

$0.53 ฿17.78

-45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

$2.42 ฿81.6

16.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 Rp 13.7K

$1.45 ฿48.82

-48.28%

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

$23.2K Rp 420.9M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

10.04%

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

$31.4K Rp 570.2M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

16.54%

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

$64.1 Rp 1.2M

$62.2 ฿2,095

3.14%

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

$4.19 Rp 76.1K

$12.17 ฿410

-65.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 Rp 535.4K

$20.12 ฿678

46.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.84 Rp 432.9K

$37.31 ฿1,257

-36.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.27 Rp 150.3K

$3.77 ฿127

119.36%

Cinema Ticket

$2.82 Rp 51.3K

$6.49 ฿219

-56.55%

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

$91.6 Rp 1.7M

$736 ฿24.8K

-87.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,145 Rp 166.1M

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-38.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.81 Rp 686.7K

$53.4 ฿1,799

-29.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.66 Rp 338.9K

$24.64 ฿830

-24.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 Rp 2.5M

$91.5 ฿3,083

53.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

$71.9 ฿2,424

-1.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 Rp 3.6M

$482 ฿16.3K

-59.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 Rp 2.6M

$309 ฿10.4K

-53.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 Rp 10.2M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-44.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 Rp 6.6M

$633 ฿21.3K

-42.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,323 Rp 24.0M

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-44.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$777 Rp 14.1M

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-51.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 Rp 4.3M

$590 ฿19.9K

-59.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

5.57

69.84%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Balikpapan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Balikpapan

$206 30.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 13.8% $28

Accommodation & Living

Balikpapan

$143 21.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 116% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Balikpapan

$120 18%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 9.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balikpapan

$98 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 3.4% $3.3

Eating Out

Balikpapan

$58 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 34.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Balikpapan

$29 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 70.5% $21

Getting Around

Balikpapan

$15 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 310% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $197 in Balikpapan and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Balikpapan vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $234 per month, with Balikpapan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

17:17 5:17 PM

1 h behind Balikpapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,066

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,333 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balikpapan Chiang Mai 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Balikpapan
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

Balikpapan vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $669 in Balikpapan and $936 in Chiang Mai, so Balikpapan is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Balikpapan. 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: $197 in Balikpapan versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Balikpapan runs roughly 79% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $92 in Balikpapan versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Balikpapan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Balikpapan and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Balikpapan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.