Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Binjai

For one person, living is cheaper in Binjai: $638 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Binjai
Learn more

Binjai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Binjai

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $638 in Binjai.

Chiang Mai $936
Binjai $638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,029 in Binjai.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Binjai $1,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,421 in Binjai.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Binjai $1,421

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 47% more expensive than in Binjai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Binjai 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.80 Rp 32.7K

24.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$15.06 Rp 273.1K

26.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

97.51%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.33 Rp 24.1K

25.56%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.48 Rp 8,707

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.20 Rp 3,639

55.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.49 Rp 45.1K

-5.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.12 Rp 56.6K

17.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.04 Rp 18.8K

87.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

53.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

66.25%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

82.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.22 Rp 112.9K

164.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.15 Rp 57.1K

-11.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.48 Rp 135.8K

24.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

-3.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.30 Rp 23.7K

-25.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.77 Rp 32.2K

-9.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

-8.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

-43.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

-12.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.39 Rp 6,985

25.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

70.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$21.59 Rp 391.6K

-18.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.01 Rp 36.5K

-19.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.20 Rp 58.0K

-13.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.21 Rp 3,849

314.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$10.00 Rp 181.4K

440.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.47 Rp 8,510

146.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.36 Rp 6,512

47.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$3.18 Rp 57.6K

-23.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

54.26%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$20.3K Rp 369.0M

3.51%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$30.1K Rp 546.1M

-10.51%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$68.7 Rp 1.2M

-9.48%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.91 Rp 70.8K

211.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$18.11 Rp 328.4K

11.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$20.19 Rp 366.2K

84.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$8.73 Rp 158.4K

-56.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.88 Rp 52.3K

125.35%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$105 Rp 1.9M

602.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$8,060 Rp 146.2M

83.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$42.93 Rp 778.7K

24.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$27.03 Rp 490.3K

-8.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$84.1 Rp 1.5M

8.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$62.7 Rp 1.1M

14.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$204 Rp 3.7M

136.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$156 Rp 2.8M

97.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$495 Rp 9.0M

103.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$411 Rp 7.5M

54.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,207 Rp 21.9M

95.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$752 Rp 13.6M

111.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Binjai: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Binjai

$156 24.5% 49.4% $153

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Binjai

$194 30.4% 17.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Binjai

$98 15.3% 10.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Binjai

$91 14.2% 4% $3.8

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Binjai

$60 9.4% 22.4% $17

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Binjai

$13 2.1% 78.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Binjai

$26 4.1% 48.4% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $204 in Binjai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $15 in Binjai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $194 per month, with Binjai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Binjai

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

267,901

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Binjai 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Binjai

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 Binjai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Binjai is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $956 in Binjai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $204 in Binjai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $638 in Binjai – Binjai is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Binjai runs roughly 82% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.

Expats usually find Binjai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.