Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Banjarmasin and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Banjarmasin: $576 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Banjarmasin
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Banjarmasin Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Banjarmasin

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$576

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $576 per month in Banjarmasin vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Banjarmasin $576
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $878 per month in Banjarmasin vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Banjarmasin $878
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,180 per month in Banjarmasin vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Banjarmasin $1,180
Chiang Mai $1,979

Banjarmasin is about 38% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Banjarmasin and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Banjarmasin 58% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.07 Rp 19.5K

$2.24 ฿75.5

-52.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.36 Rp 242.7K

$19.00 ฿640

-29.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.28 Rp 59.5K

$5.55 ฿187

-40.90%

Cappuccino

$1.22 Rp 22.1K

$1.67 ฿56.4

-26.95%

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

$0.83 Rp 15.1K

$0.64 ฿21.51

29.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 Rp 5,570

$0.31 ฿10.29

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 Rp 92.6K

$2.36 ฿79.5

116.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 Rp 64.2K

$3.66 ฿123

-3.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

$1.95 ฿65.7

-33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

$1.44 ฿48.41

-34.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

$1.33 ฿44.97

-39.10%

Eggs

$1.52 Rp 27.7K

$2.28 ฿77.0

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 Rp 133.5K

$16.45 ฿554

-55.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$2.78 ฿93.8

-26.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.20 Rp 58.2K

$9.31 ฿314

-65.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

$2.35 ฿79.3

-18.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 Rp 21.1K

$0.97 ฿32.75

19.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.91 Rp 16.5K

$1.60 ฿53.8

-43.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 Rp 21.1K

$1.50 ฿50.6

-22.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.7K

$1.28 ฿43.06

-6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 Rp 17.1K

$1.10 ฿37.14

-14.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

$0.71 ฿23.79

12.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,138

$0.49 ฿16.34

-20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

$4.14 ฿140

-53.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.44 Rp 371.1K

$17.52 ฿590

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 Rp 29.0K

$1.61 ฿54.4

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 Rp 57.4K

$2.78 ฿93.8

13.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,250

$0.87 ฿29.27

-73.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.46 Rp 208.1K

$54.1 ฿1,823

-78.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 8,991

$1.16 ฿39.00

-56.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 Rp 6,180

$0.53 ฿17.78

-35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 Rp 55.3K

$2.42 ฿81.6

25.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

$1.45 ฿48.82

-44.14%

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

$24.5K Rp 445.7M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

16.53%

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

$32.8K Rp 595.2M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

21.66%

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

$40.61 Rp 737.6K

$62.2 ฿2,095

-34.68%

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

$2.73 Rp 49.6K

$12.17 ฿410

-77.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.09 Rp 310.4K

$20.12 ฿678

-15.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.17 Rp 330.0K

$37.31 ฿1,257

-51.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.90 Rp 143.5K

$3.77 ฿127

109.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 Rp 102.3K

$6.49 ฿219

-13.25%

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)

$7,191 Rp 130.6M

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-51.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.57 Rp 791.3K

$53.4 ฿1,799

-18.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.00 Rp 490.3K

$24.64 ฿830

9.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.1 Rp 945.8K

$91.5 ฿3,083

-43.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.79 Rp 577.4K

$71.9 ฿2,424

-55.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 Rp 3.7M

$482 ฿16.3K

-57.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$309 ฿10.4K

-46.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$501 Rp 9.1M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-50.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 Rp 5.7M

$633 ฿21.3K

-50.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$998 Rp 18.1M

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-57.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$762 Rp 13.8M

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-52.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 Rp 3.5M

$590 ฿19.9K

-66.99%

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 Banjarmasin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Banjarmasin

$168 29.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 39.4% $66

Accommodation & Living

Banjarmasin

$164 28.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 88.5% $145

Eating Out

Banjarmasin

$70 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 10.6% $7.5

Clothing & Footwear

Banjarmasin

$70 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 56.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Banjarmasin

$60 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 56.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Banjarmasin

$29 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 70.8% $21

Getting Around

Banjarmasin

$15 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 321% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $204 in Banjarmasin versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Banjarmasin versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $168 vs $234 – making Banjarmasin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Banjarmasin

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

12:33 12:33 PM

1 h behind Banjarmasin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

715,703

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 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 = 20,355 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Banjarmasin Chiang Mai 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Banjarmasin
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

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $864 per month in Banjarmasin and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Banjarmasin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Banjarmasin and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $576 in Banjarmasin and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Banjarmasin about 38% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Banjarmasin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Banjarmasin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.