Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Malang

For one person, living is cheaper in Malang: $468 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Malang
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Malang Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Malang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$468

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $468 in Malang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Malang $468

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $717 in Malang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Malang $717

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $966 in Malang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Malang $966

Chiang Mai costs about 100% more than Malang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Malang are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Malang 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

95.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$11.13 Rp 201.5K

67.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$2.78 Rp 50.4K

101.44%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

27.69%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$0.66 Rp 12.0K

-1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$0.21 Rp 3,790

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$2.17 Rp 39.2K

6.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$4.03 Rp 72.9K

-8.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

102.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$1.07 Rp 19.4K

31.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

82.89%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$1.22 Rp 22.1K

94.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$5.84 Rp 105.7K

182.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$2.90 Rp 52.6K

-7.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$6.87 Rp 124.4K

31.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

18.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.55 Rp 28.1K

7.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.39 Rp 25.2K

12.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

-4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$1.87 Rp 33.8K

-41.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$0.49 Rp 8,885

55.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$0.43 Rp 7,740

18.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.71 Rp 49.0K

52.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$12.40 Rp 224.4K

44.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

-4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$2.94 Rp 53.2K

-4.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

45.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

$5.41 Rp 97.9K

877.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$0.47 Rp 8,447

151.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$0.40 Rp 7,304

-57.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$5.60 Rp 101.4K

-67.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$0.77 Rp 14.0K

90.91%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$24.9K Rp 450.6M

-15.57%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$26.9K Rp 487.3M

-1.50%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$30.94 Rp 560.1K

102.20%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$2.30 Rp 41.6K

404.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$19.02 Rp 344.4K

6.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$14.09 Rp 255.1K

168.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$4.59 Rp 83.1K

-19.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

230.46%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$30.83 Rp 558.2K

2258.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$4,104 Rp 74.3M

303.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$55.0 Rp 995.9K

-2.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$22.34 Rp 404.4K

11.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$50.6 Rp 916.0K

78.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$36.51 Rp 661.0K

97.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$140 Rp 2.5M

244.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$91.7 Rp 1.7M

238.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$196 Rp 3.5M

439.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$152 Rp 2.8M

332.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$195 Rp 3.5M

204.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Malang: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Malang

$92 19.6% 70.4% $218

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Malang

$166 35.6% 29.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Malang

$74 15.8% 31.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Malang

$52 11.2% 44.7% $42

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Malang

$55 11.8% 28.1% $22

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Malang

$10 2.2% 82.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Malang

$18 3.9% 64.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $140 in Malang. 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 $11 in Malang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $166 – making Malang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Malang

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

857,891

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,103 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,331 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Malang 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Malang

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 Malang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 100% more than Malang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $702 in Malang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $140 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $31 in Malang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Malang costs $468 versus $935 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Malang. 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.