Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gili Air

For one person, living is cheaper in Gili Air: $812 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Gili Air
Learn more

Gili Air Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Gili Air

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Gili Air

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $812 in Gili Air, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Gili Air $812

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,337 in Gili Air, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Gili Air $1,337

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,861 in Gili Air, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Gili Air $1,861

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Gili Air, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Gili Air are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Gili Air 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

24.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$19.34 Rp 348.1K

1.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

87.63%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

16.08%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

-19.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.44 Rp 7,928

-29.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

65.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.44 Rp 43.9K

52.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

72.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.60 Rp 28.7K

-11.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

61.73%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

48.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$12.29 Rp 221.3K

35.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.82 Rp 50.7K

-2.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$8.56 Rp 154.0K

6.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.49 Rp 44.9K

-4.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

-9.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.68 Rp 30.2K

-2.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

9.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.34 Rp 24.0K

-3.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

-35.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

-1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.38 Rp 6,869

39.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$1.59 Rp 28.7K

171.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$15.78 Rp 284.0K

13.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.69 Rp 30.5K

-6.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

37.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.18 Rp 3,182

377.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$6.64 Rp 119.6K

702.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.38 Rp 6,851

218.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.34 Rp 6,206

67.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$5.04 Rp 90.6K

-53.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

102.82%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$19.0K Rp 342.1M

9.08%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$25.7K Rp 461.8M

4.47%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

-3.32%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$5.21 Rp 93.7K

132.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$14.68 Rp 264.3K

35.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$32.16 Rp 578.8K

15.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$10.43 Rp 187.8K

-63.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$2.51 Rp 45.1K

158.96%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$336 Rp 6.0M

135.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$3,931 Rp 70.8M

276.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$37.54 Rp 675.7K

43.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$28.70 Rp 516.5K

-14.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$63.6 Rp 1.1M

42.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$63.0 Rp 1.1M

12.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$543 Rp 9.8M

-16.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$331 Rp 6.0M

-10.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,705 Rp 30.7M

-46.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$807 Rp 14.5M

-31.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,306 Rp 23.5M

47.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,074 Rp 19.3M

34.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.78

-59.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Gili Air: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Gili Air

$331 40.8% 11.2% $33

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Gili Air

$205 25.2% 12.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Gili Air

$87 10.7% 19.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Gili Air

$84 10.4% 10.6% $10

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Gili Air

$58 7.2% 25.9% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Gili Air

$9.5 1.2% 84.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Gili Air

$37 4.6% 25.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $543 in Gili Air. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $19.00 in Gili Air. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $205 – making Gili Air the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Gili Air

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

19:42 7:42 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Gili Air 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gili Air

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 Gili Air: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Gili Air, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,218 in Gili Air. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gili Air, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $336 in Gili Air. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% 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.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gili Air, where all-in costs run around $812, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Gili Air it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Gili Air costs $812 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Gili Air. 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.