Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Palangkaraya

For one person, living is cheaper in Palangkaraya: $618 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Palangkaraya
Learn more

Palangkaraya Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Palangkaraya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$618

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $618 in Palangkaraya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Palangkaraya $618

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,012 in Palangkaraya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Palangkaraya $1,012

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,406 in Palangkaraya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Palangkaraya $1,406

Chiang Mai costs about 51% more than Palangkaraya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Palangkaraya are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Palangkaraya 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

58.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$13.87 Rp 252.3K

36.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.59 Rp 65.3K

54.60%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.55 Rp 28.2K

7.74%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.46 Rp 8,367

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.22 Rp 4,090

40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.14 Rp 38.9K

10.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.47 Rp 63.1K

5.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.18 Rp 21.5K

65.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.09 Rp 19.8K

32.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.85 Rp 15.5K

56.47%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.45 Rp 26.3K

57.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$7.07 Rp 128.5K

132.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.13 Rp 38.7K

30.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.56 Rp 119.3K

41.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.14 Rp 38.9K

9.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.65 Rp 30.0K

-41.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

3.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

51.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.20 Rp 21.7K

6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.98 Rp 36.0K

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.87 Rp 15.8K

-18.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.41 Rp 7,437

19.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.57 Rp 46.6K

61.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$23.47 Rp 426.8K

-25.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

-16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.06 Rp 55.7K

-9.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.21 Rp 3,762

314.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$13.19 Rp 239.9K

310.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$0.58 Rp 10.6K

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.34 Rp 6,137

55.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$2.77 Rp 50.4K

-12.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.63 Rp 11.5K

130.16%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$20.4K Rp 370.8M

3.28%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$32.3K Rp 588.2M

-16.72%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$69.4 Rp 1.3M

-10.46%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$4.19 Rp 76.1K

190.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$18.78 Rp 341.4K

7.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$5.49 Rp 99.8K

579.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$9.37 Rp 170.4K

-59.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.79 Rp 50.7K

132.62%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$105 Rp 1.9M

599.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$7,652 Rp 139.1M

92.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$46.45 Rp 844.5K

14.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$29.61 Rp 538.3K

-16.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$70.1 Rp 1.3M

30.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$80.0 Rp 1.5M

-10.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$217 Rp 3.9M

122.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$142 Rp 2.6M

117.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$495 Rp 9.0M

103.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$417 Rp 7.6M

51.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,081 Rp 19.7M

118.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$859 Rp 15.6M

84.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 26, 2026

Last update for Palangkaraya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Palangkaraya

$142 23% 54% $167

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Palangkaraya

$194 31.3% 17.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Palangkaraya

$102 16.5% 6.3% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Palangkaraya

$92 14.9% 2.2% $2.1

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Palangkaraya

$61 9.9% 21.4% $17

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Palangkaraya

$16 2.6% 73.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Palangkaraya

$11 1.8% 78% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $217 in Palangkaraya. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $14 in Palangkaraya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $194 – making Palangkaraya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Palangkaraya

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

220,962

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,242 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Palangkaraya 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Palangkaraya

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 Palangkaraya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 51% more than Palangkaraya, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $927 in Palangkaraya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palangkaraya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $217 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $105 in Palangkaraya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Palangkaraya, where all-in costs run around $618, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Palangkaraya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palangkaraya – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Palangkaraya is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 34% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.