Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cirebon

For one person, living is cheaper in Cirebon: $722 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Cirebon, Indonesia
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$925
/mo nomad
Cirebon
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$722
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $722 in Cirebon, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $925
  • Cirebon $722

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,138 in Cirebon, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,414
  • Cirebon $1,138

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,554 in Cirebon, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,903
  • Cirebon $1,554

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Cirebon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Cirebon are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Cirebon 47% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Cirebon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.29 ฿77.2
$2.76 Rp 49.5K
-17.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.64 ฿663
$16.95 Rp 304.6K
15.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.61 ฿190
$3.31 Rp 59.5K
69.49%
Cappuccino
$1.66 ฿56.2
$2.05 Rp 36.9K
-19.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 ฿23.63
$0.42 Rp 7,569
66.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.34
$0.24 Rp 4,294
29.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.41 ฿81.2
$2.47 Rp 44.3K
-2.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.71 ฿125
$3.84 Rp 69.1K
-3.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Cirebon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.9
$1.02 Rp 18.4K
91.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 ฿47.51
$1.08 Rp 19.4K
30.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.31 ฿44.07
$0.90 Rp 16.2K
45.56%
Eggs
$2.18 ฿73.6
$1.87 Rp 33.7K
16.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.65 ฿562
$9.17 Rp 164.8K
81.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.76 ฿93.1
$3.11 Rp 55.9K
-11.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.11 ฿307
$7.71 Rp 138.7K
18.16%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 ฿80.8
$2.81 Rp 50.6K
-14.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.03 ฿34.61
$1.38 Rp 24.8K
-25.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.63 ฿54.9
$2.64 Rp 47.5K
-38.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$1.37 Rp 24.7K
9.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 ฿43.57
$1.33 Rp 23.9K
-3.01%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.40
$2.08 Rp 37.3K
-46.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿24.32
$0.96 Rp 17.3K
-25.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ฿17.77
$0.47 Rp 8,509
12.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.31 ฿145
$2.81 Rp 50.5K
53.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.95 ฿606
$21.39 Rp 384.5K
-16.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 ฿53.4
$2.09 Rp 37.5K
-24.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿96.0
$3.13 Rp 56.2K
-9.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Cirebon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 ฿29.15
$0.29 Rp 5,224
196.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.3 ฿1,799
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.21 ฿40.70
$0.54 Rp 9,773
124.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ฿19.18
$0.32 Rp 5,677
78.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$3.33 Rp 59.8K
-29.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 ฿48.45
$0.82 Rp 14.7K
75.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K ฿699.9K
$28.0K Rp 503.6M
-26.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.8K
$32.6K Rp 585.3M
-17.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Cirebon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.3 ฿2,104
$108 Rp 1.9M
-42.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.11 ฿409
$5.95 Rp 107.1K
103.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.94 ฿673
$19.29 Rp 346.8K
3.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Cirebon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.07 ฿1,251
$19.76 Rp 355.2K
87.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.78 ฿127
$8.36 Rp 150.2K
-54.78%
Cinema Ticket
$6.50 ฿219
$3.32 Rp 59.7K
95.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Cirebon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$793 ฿26.8K
$151 Rp 2.7M
423.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿499.9K
$8,353 Rp 150.2M
77.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Cirebon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.7 ฿1,814
$58.5 Rp 1.1M
-8.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.62 ฿831
$29.07 Rp 522.6K
-15.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.9 ฿3,067
$70.9 Rp 1.3M
28.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.1 ฿2,402
$108 Rp 1.9M
-34.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Cirebon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$455 ฿15.4K
$232 Rp 4.2M
96.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$298 ฿10.1K
$145 Rp 2.6M
105.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$908 ฿30.7K
$539 Rp 9.7M
68.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$554 ฿18.7K
$368 Rp 6.6M
50.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,931 ฿65.2K
$1,160 Rp 20.9M
66.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,445 ฿48.8K
$794 Rp 14.3M
81.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Cirebon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$591 ฿19.9K
$165 Rp 3.0M
257.61%
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 17, 2026

Last update for Cirebon: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$298
Cirebon
$145 51.3% $153
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$235
Cirebon
$215 8.6% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$108
Cirebon
$120 10.8% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Cirebon
$133 41.1% $39
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$79
Cirebon
$79 0.8% $0.7
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Cirebon
$3.3 * 94.6% $58
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Cirebon
$26 47.3% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $232 in Cirebon. 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 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai versus $17 in Cirebon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $215 – making Cirebon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇮🇩 Cirebon
🕒 Local time
16:25 4:25 PM
16:25 4:25 PM
Same time as Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
318,741
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 33.76 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 17,978 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,094 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Cirebon 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Cirebon

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 Cirebon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Cirebon?
Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Cirebon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Cirebon?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,083 in Cirebon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Cirebon?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cirebon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $232 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.
How do dining costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Cirebon?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai and $17 in Cirebon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Cirebon?
Groceries cost about 9% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Cirebon?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Cirebon, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Cirebon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Cirebon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Cirebon?
If budget matters most, go with Cirebon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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