Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pekanbaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Pekanbaru: $627 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Pekanbaru
Learn more

Pekanbaru Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Pekanbaru

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $627 in Pekanbaru, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Pekanbaru $627

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $986 in Pekanbaru, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Pekanbaru $986

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,344 in Pekanbaru, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Pekanbaru $1,344

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than Pekanbaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Pekanbaru are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Pekanbaru 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.42 Rp 25.8K

57.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$8.09 Rp 146.7K

134.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.37 Rp 43.0K

134.18%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.27 Rp 23.1K

31.50%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.60 Rp 10.9K

6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.33 Rp 6,013

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.02 Rp 36.7K

16.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.50 Rp 63.6K

4.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.27 Rp 23.1K

53.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.08 Rp 19.5K

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

64.20%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.61 Rp 29.1K

41.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.06 Rp 128.0K

133.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.35 Rp 42.6K

18.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.38 Rp 115.7K

45.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.56 Rp 46.4K

-8.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.66 Rp 30.2K

-41.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.31 Rp 41.9K

-30.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.19 Rp 21.5K

26.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

1.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.95 Rp 35.3K

-43.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.85 Rp 15.5K

-16.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.36 Rp 6,443

36.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.15 Rp 39.0K

92.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$21.11 Rp 382.8K

-17.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.79 Rp 32.5K

-10.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.99 Rp 54.2K

-7.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.27 Rp 4,871

222.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$11.26 Rp 204.3K

380.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

17.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.36 Rp 6,441

47.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.90 Rp 52.7K

-16.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.70 Rp 12.7K

107.14%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$23.2K Rp 420.0M

-9.06%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$25.8K Rp 467.6M

4.51%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$62.5 Rp 1.1M

-0.48%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.02 Rp 109.1K

102.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$22.68 Rp 411.4K

-11.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$27.69 Rp 502.3K

34.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$8.22 Rp 149.2K

-54.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.07 Rp 55.6K

111.40%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$94.5 Rp 1.7M

679.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$8,127 Rp 147.4M

81.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$32.20 Rp 584.0K

65.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$28.67 Rp 520.0K

-14.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$55.6 Rp 1.0M

64.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

-10.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$243 Rp 4.4M

98.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$148 Rp 2.7M

108.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$541 Rp 9.8M

86.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$370 Rp 6.7M

71.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,302 Rp 23.6M

81.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$804 Rp 14.6M

97.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$175 Rp 3.2M

237.80%

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 Pekanbaru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Pekanbaru

$148 23.6% 52.1% $161

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Pekanbaru

$196 31.2% 16.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Pekanbaru

$89 14.2% 18.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Pekanbaru

$91 14.5% 3.5% $3.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Pekanbaru

$55 8.7% 29.6% $23

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Pekanbaru

$15 2.4% 75.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Pekanbaru

$34 5.4% 32.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $243 in Pekanbaru. 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 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $8 in Pekanbaru. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $196 – making Pekanbaru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Pekanbaru

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,020,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Pekanbaru 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pekanbaru

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 Pekanbaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than Pekanbaru, 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 $941 in Pekanbaru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pekanbaru, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $243 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $94 in Pekanbaru. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

If budget matters most, go with Pekanbaru. 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.