Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Padang

For one person, living is cheaper in Padang: $636 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Padang
Learn more

Padang Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Padang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$636

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $636 in Padang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Padang $636

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $995 in Padang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Padang $995

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,355 in Padang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Padang $1,355

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Padang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Padang are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Padang 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$1.63 Rp 29.4K

40.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$12.34 Rp 222.1K

59.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$3.63 Rp 65.3K

54.55%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.54 Rp 27.7K

7.79%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.45 Rp 8,060

55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.27 Rp 4,886

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.51 Rp 45.2K

-3.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.62 Rp 65.1K

2.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

72.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.98 Rp 17.7K

43.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.94 Rp 16.9K

39.36%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

54.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$7.43 Rp 133.7K

124.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.85 Rp 51.4K

-3.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$7.26 Rp 130.6K

25.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

4.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.33 Rp 23.9K

-22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

-11.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.06 Rp 19.1K

41.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

14.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$2.17 Rp 39.1K

-48.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.40 Rp 7,140

32.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

59.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$20.39 Rp 367.0K

-11.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.73 Rp 31.2K

-8.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$3.07 Rp 55.3K

-7.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.26 Rp 4,748

230.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.47 Rp 8,401

157.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.36 Rp 6,568

58.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$2.49 Rp 44.8K

-5.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

97.26%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$24.4K Rp 439.9M

-15.18%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$29.4K Rp 529.1M

-8.83%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$72.6 Rp 1.3M

-14.16%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$4.84 Rp 87.1K

150.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$21.04 Rp 378.6K

-5.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$19.81 Rp 356.6K

87.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$7.79 Rp 140.2K

-51.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$2.59 Rp 46.6K

150.97%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$102 Rp 1.8M

675.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$7,060 Rp 127.1M

109.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$43.15 Rp 776.8K

24.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$31.84 Rp 573.1K

-22.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$63.6 Rp 1.1M

42.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$71.8 Rp 1.3M

-0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$228 Rp 4.1M

99.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$157 Rp 2.8M

89.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$551 Rp 9.9M

64.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$371 Rp 6.7M

49.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,294 Rp 23.3M

49.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$810 Rp 14.6M

78.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$169 Rp 3.0M

250.57%

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 Padang: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Padang

$157 24.7% 47.2% $141

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Padang

$192 30.2% 18.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Padang

$95 14.9% 12.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Padang

$98 15.5% 4.4% $4.1

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Padang

$65 10.2% 17.2% $14

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Padang

$3.4 * 0.5% 94.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Padang

$25 3.9% 50.1% $25

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 $228 in Padang. 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 251% 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $12.00 in Padang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $192 – making Padang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Padang

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,000,096

💱 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 Padang 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Padang

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 Padang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Padang, 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 $954 in Padang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $12.00 in Padang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Padang, where all-in costs run around $636, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Padang 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. Padang costs $636 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 Padang. 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.