Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Samarinda

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarinda: $652 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Samarinda
Learn more

Samarinda Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Samarinda

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $652 in Samarinda, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Samarinda $652

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,055 in Samarinda, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Samarinda $1,055

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,457 in Samarinda, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Samarinda $1,457

Chiang Mai costs about 44% more than Samarinda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Samarinda are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Samarinda 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.63 Rp 29.6K

37.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$13.90 Rp 252.1K

36.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.33 Rp 60.4K

66.67%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.45 Rp 26.4K

15.17%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.45 Rp 8,247

42.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.24 Rp 4,369

29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.17 Rp 39.4K

8.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.50 Rp 63.5K

4.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.06 Rp 19.2K

83.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.86 Rp 15.7K

67.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$0.64 Rp 11.7K

107.81%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.37 Rp 24.8K

66.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.12 Rp 129.1K

131.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.54 Rp 64.2K

-21.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.03 Rp 182.0K

-7.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.99 Rp 90.5K

-52.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.09 Rp 19.8K

-11.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.07 Rp 19.5K

49.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

6.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

-0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.81 Rp 32.8K

-39.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

-12.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.51 Rp 9,229

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.07 Rp 37.5K

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$21.12 Rp 383.2K

-17.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

-17.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.92 Rp 53.0K

-4.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.21 Rp 3,783

314.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$11.71 Rp 212.5K

361.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.50 Rp 9,010

132.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.33 Rp 6,005

60.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$2.80 Rp 50.9K

-13.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

79.01%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$22.3K Rp 404.6M

-5.56%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$31.5K Rp 571.9M

-14.52%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$63.1 Rp 1.1M

-1.43%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$3.84 Rp 69.7K

216.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$18.56 Rp 336.7K

8.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$18.49 Rp 335.5K

101.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.04 Rp 127.7K

-46.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.73 Rp 49.6K

137.73%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$98.6 Rp 1.8M

646.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$8,897 Rp 161.4M

65.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$40.26 Rp 730.6K

32.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$27.22 Rp 494.0K

-9.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$70.8 Rp 1.3M

29.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$64.6 Rp 1.2M

11.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$210 Rp 3.8M

130.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$161 Rp 2.9M

91.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$527 Rp 9.6M

90.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$420 Rp 7.6M

50.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,231 Rp 22.3M

91.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$819 Rp 14.9M

93.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$327 Rp 5.9M

80.31%

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 Samarinda: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Samarinda

$161 24.8% 47.7% $147

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Samarinda

$214 32.8% 8.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Samarinda

$91 14% 16% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Samarinda

$85 13.1% 9.5% $9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Samarinda

$61 9.4% 21.3% $16

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Samarinda

$15 2.3% 76.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Samarinda

$24 3.7% 52.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $210 in Samarinda. 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 80% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $14 in Samarinda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $214 – making Samarinda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Samarinda

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

23:16 11:16 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

726,223

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,249 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Samarinda 2,920 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Samarinda

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 Samarinda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 44% more than Samarinda, 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 $978 in Samarinda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samarinda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $210 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $99 in Samarinda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $652 in Samarinda, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Samarinda – 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 Samarinda. 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.