Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Balikpapan

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
Learn more

Balikpapan Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Balikpapan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Balikpapan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Chiang Mai $936
Balikpapan $669

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

Chiang Mai $1,457
Balikpapan $1,057

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

Chiang Mai $1,979
Balikpapan $1,444

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 40% more expensive than in Balikpapan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

60.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$10.88 Rp 197.7K

74.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

83.77%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

24.63%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.35 Rp 6,320

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.39 Rp 7,034

-20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.25 Rp 40.8K

4.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.51 Rp 63.7K

4.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

72.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.05 Rp 19.1K

37.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.17 Rp 21.3K

13.68%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

-6.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$7.14 Rp 129.7K

130.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.98 Rp 54.1K

-6.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.63 Rp 156.8K

7.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

7.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.31 Rp 23.7K

-25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

3.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

26.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.95 Rp 35.5K

-43.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

-15.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

-31.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.78 Rp 32.2K

132.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$21.12 Rp 383.5K

-17.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.79 Rp 32.6K

-10.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.98 Rp 54.0K

-6.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.23 Rp 4,151

278.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$11.50 Rp 208.8K

370.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

4.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.29 Rp 5,189

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

-13.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.75 Rp 13.7K

93.33%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$23.2K Rp 420.9M

-9.13%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$31.4K Rp 570.2M

-14.19%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$64.1 Rp 1.2M

-3.04%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$4.19 Rp 76.1K

190.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$29.48 Rp 535.4K

-31.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$23.84 Rp 432.9K

56.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$8.27 Rp 150.3K

-54.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.82 Rp 51.3K

130.14%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$91.6 Rp 1.7M

704.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$9,145 Rp 166.1M

61.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$37.81 Rp 686.7K

41.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$18.66 Rp 338.9K

32.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$140 Rp 2.5M

-34.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

1.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$197 Rp 3.6M

144.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$143 Rp 2.6M

115.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$559 Rp 10.2M

79.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$362 Rp 6.6M

74.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,323 Rp 24.0M

78.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$777 Rp 14.1M

104.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$238 Rp 4.3M

148.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.46

-41.12%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Balikpapan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Balikpapan

$143 21.4% 53.6% $166

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Balikpapan

$206 30.8% 12.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Balikpapan

$120 18% 10.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Balikpapan

$98 14.6% 3.5% $3.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Balikpapan

$58 8.6% 25.8% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Balikpapan

$15 2.2% 75.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Balikpapan

$29 4.4% 41.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $197 in Balikpapan. 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: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $11 in Balikpapan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $206 per month, with Balikpapan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

18:30 6:30 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

701,066

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Balikpapan

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

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

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

Average pay in Chiang Mai is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $197 in Balikpapan. 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 $736 in Chiang Mai versus $92 in Balikpapan. 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, Chiang Mai and Balikpapan 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.