Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bogor

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogor: $425 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bogor, Indonesia
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Bogor
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$425
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $425 in Bogor.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Bogor $425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $655 in Bogor.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Bogor $655

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $885 in Bogor.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Bogor $885

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 120% more expensive than in Bogor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bogor 69% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Bogor
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.6
$1.42 Rp 25.8K
57.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿641
$6.74 Rp 122.3K
181.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$2.45 Rp 44.4K
126.53%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.5
$1.20 Rp 21.8K
39.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.55
$0.41 Rp 7,424
56.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.31
$0.16 Rp 2,982
93.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$2.08 Rp 37.8K
13.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$3.00 Rp 54.4K
22.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Bogor
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
75.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.48
$0.97 Rp 17.6K
48.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.04
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
75.00%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$1.46 Rp 26.6K
56.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿555
$5.59 Rp 101.4K
194.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$2.90 Rp 52.7K
-4.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$5.61 Rp 101.7K
65.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$2.15 Rp 39.0K
9.30%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.80
$1.04 Rp 18.9K
-6.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$1.53 Rp 27.8K
4.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$0.87 Rp 15.8K
72.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.12
$1.08 Rp 19.7K
18.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.19
$1.82 Rp 33.0K
-39.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.82
$0.65 Rp 11.7K
9.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.37
$0.43 Rp 7,796
13.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$2.01 Rp 36.4K
105.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿591
$19.21 Rp 348.4K
-8.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.56 Rp 28.2K
3.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$2.33 Rp 42.3K
19.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Bogor
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.31
$0.29 Rp 5,232
200.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,826
$6.48 Rp 117.6K
734.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.06
$0.42 Rp 7,613
176.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.80
$0.32 Rp 5,789
65.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$1.41 Rp 25.5K
71.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.90
$0.88 Rp 16.0K
64.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿710.7K
$23.1K Rp 418.9M
-8.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.3K
$22.3K Rp 405.0M
20.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Bogor
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,098
$34.02 Rp 617.1K
82.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$4.17 Rp 75.6K
191.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿679
$15.74 Rp 285.5K
27.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Bogor
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,259
$43.17 Rp 783.1K
-13.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$4.16 Rp 75.5K
-9.38%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$2.80 Rp 50.8K
131.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Bogor
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$92.5 Rp 1.7M
696.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.3K
$8,230 Rp 149.3M
79.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Bogor
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,801
$38.44 Rp 697.2K
38.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿831
$17.61 Rp 319.4K
39.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,087
$74.9 Rp 1.4M
22.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,428
$69.5 Rp 1.3M
3.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Bogor
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$249 Rp 4.5M
93.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
$559 Rp 10.1M
80.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$553 Rp 10.0M
327.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
$272 Rp 4.9M
483.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Bogor
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$335 Rp 6.1M
75.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
9
-38.11%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bogor: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Bogor
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Bogor
$171 27.1% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Bogor
$90 17% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Bogor
$54 42.9% $41
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Bogor
$52 33.2% $26
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Bogor
$9.7 84.3% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Bogor
$49 3% $1.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $249 in Bogor. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 76% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $7 in Bogor for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $171 per month, with Bogor cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇮🇩 Bogor
🕒 Local time
13:09 1:09 PM
13:09 1:09 PM
Same time as Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
834,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Bogor 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Bogor

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 Bogor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Bogor?
Bogor wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bogor the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Chiang Mai or in Bogor?
Average pay runs 76% higher in Chiang Mai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Chiang Mai compared to Bogor?
Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $249 in Bogor. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Chiang Mai compared to Bogor?
A monthly transit pass in Bogor runs roughly 88% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Bogor?
Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $92 in Bogor. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Bogor?
At $425 in Bogor versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Bogor but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Bogor the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Chiang Mai or Bogor?
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.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Bogor?
Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Bogor are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Bogor gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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