Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Medan

For one person, living is cheaper in Medan: $613 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $613 in Medan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Medan $613

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $940 in Medan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Medan $940

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,266 in Medan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Medan $1,266

Chiang Mai costs about 53% more than Medan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Medan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Medan 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

32.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

131.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

89.49%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

12.42%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.35 Rp 6,215

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.25 Rp 4,534

32.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

42.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

8.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

84.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

18.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

58.02%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

70.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

108.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

-23.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

47.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

-3.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

13.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

63.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

52.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

-38.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.38 Rp 6,905

89.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.44 Rp 7,872

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

50.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

12.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

-10.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

-5.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.27 Rp 4,816

214.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

808.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.51 Rp 9,186

129.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.19 Rp 3,465

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

81.25%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

-17.00%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

-17.70%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

-26.53%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

287.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

-15.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

123.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

-55.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

103.95%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$112 Rp 2.0M

613.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

776.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

-1.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

-34.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$108 Rp 1.9M

-15.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$111 Rp 2.0M

-33.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$233 Rp 4.2M

99.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

239.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$494 Rp 8.9M

85.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$212 Rp 3.8M

160.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

65.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$560 Rp 10.1M

157.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$215 Rp 3.9M

176.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.25

-39.78%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Medan

$90 14.6% 70.5% $215

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Medan

$181 29.5% 24% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Medan

$140 22.9% 28.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Medan

$112 18.2% 18% $17

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Medan

$59 9.6% 25.7% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Medan

$8.5 1.4% 86.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Medan

$24 3.8% 54.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $233 in Medan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 177% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $8.00 in Medan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $181 – making Medan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Medan

🕒 Local time

16:34 4:34 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,097,610

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Medan 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Medan

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 Medan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 53% more than Medan, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $920 in Medan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $112 in Medan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% 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 Medan, where all-in costs run around $613, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Medan 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. Medan costs $613 versus $938 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 Medan. 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.