Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pontianak

For one person, living is cheaper in Pontianak: $478 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Pontianak
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Pontianak Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Pontianak

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $478 in Pontianak, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Pontianak $478

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $593 in Pontianak, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Pontianak $593

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $708 in Pontianak, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Pontianak $708

Chiang Mai costs about 93% more than Pontianak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Pontianak are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Pontianak 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$1.70 Rp 30.7K

34.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$8.27 Rp 148.8K

137.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$2.89 Rp 52.0K

94.12%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.16 Rp 21.0K

43.10%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.47 Rp 8,402

48.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.21 Rp 3,768

47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.71 Rp 48.7K

-11.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.67 Rp 66.0K

1.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.03 Rp 18.5K

89.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

-0.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

40.86%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.45 Rp 26.0K

50.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$3.22 Rp 58.0K

-14.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.03 Rp 54.6K

-21.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.99 Rp 35.9K

-48.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

-24.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.49 Rp 8,764

8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.79 Rp 50.2K

54.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$22.24 Rp 400.4K

-19.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

-8.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

32.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.27 Rp 4,795

218.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.77 Rp 13.9K

87.01%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$69.1 Rp 1.2M

-9.78%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$5.50 Rp 99.0K

120.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$22.22 Rp 399.9K

-10.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$23.64 Rp 425.6K

56.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$11.66 Rp 209.9K

-67.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

83.10%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$32.60 Rp 586.8K

64.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$33.62 Rp 605.2K

-26.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$165 Rp 3.0M

175.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$111 Rp 2.0M

168.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$266 Rp 4.8M

122.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Pontianak: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Pontianak

$111 23.2% 62.8% $187

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Pontianak

$149 * 31.2% 36.7% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Pontianak

$30 * 6.2% 72.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Pontianak

$97 20.2% 2.6% $2.4

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Pontianak

$60 12.5% 23.9% $19

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Pontianak

$1.1 * 0.2% 98.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Pontianak

$31 6.4% 38.6% $19

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 $165 in Pontianak. 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 122% 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 $8.00 in Pontianak. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $149 – making Pontianak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Pontianak

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

672,440

💱 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 Pontianak 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pontianak

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 Pontianak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 93% more than Pontianak, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $717 in Pontianak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $925 in Chiang Mai and $478 in Pontianak. That's a gap of about 93%.

Groceries cost about 58% 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 Pontianak, where all-in costs run around $478, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Pontianak 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. Pontianak costs $478 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 Pontianak. 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.