Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Banjarmasin

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Banjarmasin
Learn more

Banjarmasin Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Banjarmasin

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$576

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Banjarmasin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Chiang Mai $936
Banjarmasin $576

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

Chiang Mai $1,457
Banjarmasin $878

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

Chiang Mai $1,979
Banjarmasin $1,180

Chiang Mai costs about 62% more than Banjarmasin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$1.07 Rp 19.5K

109.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$13.36 Rp 242.7K

42.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.28 Rp 59.5K

69.21%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.22 Rp 22.1K

36.89%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.83 Rp 15.1K

-22.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.31 Rp 5,570

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$5.10 Rp 92.6K

-53.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.53 Rp 64.2K

3.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

51.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

51.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

64.20%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.52 Rp 27.7K

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$7.35 Rp 133.5K

123.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

36.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$3.20 Rp 58.2K

190.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

22.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.16 Rp 21.1K

-16.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$0.91 Rp 16.5K

75.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.16 Rp 21.1K

29.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.20 Rp 21.7K

6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.94 Rp 17.1K

17.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

-11.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.39 Rp 7,138

25.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

115.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$20.44 Rp 371.1K

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.60 Rp 29.0K

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.16 Rp 57.4K

-12.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.23 Rp 4,250

278.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$11.46 Rp 208.1K

371.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$0.50 Rp 8,991

132.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.34 Rp 6,180

55.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$3.04 Rp 55.3K

-20.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

79.01%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$24.5K Rp 445.7M

-14.19%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$32.8K Rp 595.2M

-17.80%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$40.61 Rp 737.6K

53.09%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$2.73 Rp 49.6K

345.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$17.09 Rp 310.4K

17.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$18.17 Rp 330.0K

105.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.90 Rp 143.5K

-52.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.63 Rp 102.3K

15.28%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$91.6 Rp 1.7M

703.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$7,191 Rp 130.6M

105.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$43.57 Rp 791.3K

22.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$27.00 Rp 490.3K

-8.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$52.1 Rp 945.8K

75.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$31.79 Rp 577.4K

126.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$204 Rp 3.7M

136.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$164 Rp 3.0M

88.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$501 Rp 9.1M

100.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$315 Rp 5.7M

101.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$998 Rp 18.1M

136.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$762 Rp 13.8M

108.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$195 Rp 3.5M

202.97%

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 Banjarmasin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Banjarmasin

$164 28.5% 47% $145

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Banjarmasin

$168 29.2% 28.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Banjarmasin

$70 12.1% 36% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Banjarmasin

$60 10.5% 36% $34

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Banjarmasin

$70 12.2% 9.6% $7.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Banjarmasin

$15 2.5% 76.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Banjarmasin

$29 5.1% 41.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $204 in Banjarmasin. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $13 in Banjarmasin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $168 – making Banjarmasin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Banjarmasin

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

715,703

💱 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 = 4.91 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 = 37.77 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 = 20,355 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Banjarmasin

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 Banjarmasin: 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $864 in Banjarmasin. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai and $13 in Banjarmasin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $576 in Banjarmasin. 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.