Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $674 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $674 in Surabaya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Surabaya $674

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,173 in Surabaya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Surabaya $1,173

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,672 in Surabaya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Surabaya $1,672

Chiang Mai costs about 37% more than Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Surabaya are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$1.63 Rp 29.3K

40.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$11.26 Rp 202.7K

74.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$3.14 Rp 56.5K

78.66%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.56 Rp 28.0K

6.41%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.55 Rp 9,867

27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.26 Rp 4,619

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

11.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.14 Rp 74.5K

-10.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

56.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

11.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

57.83%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

84.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

114.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

-10.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

17.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

18.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

-20.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

-13.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

0.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

-5.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

-41.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

-19.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.39 Rp 7,029

35.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

117.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$25.14 Rp 452.5K

-28.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

-9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.35 Rp 6,237

145.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.46 Rp 8,282

163.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.42 Rp 7,542

35.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$2.58 Rp 46.4K

-8.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

63.64%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$24.6K Rp 443.1M

-15.79%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$32.3K Rp 581.0M

-16.96%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$87.3 Rp 1.6M

-28.62%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$4.57 Rp 82.2K

164.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$19.05 Rp 342.9K

4.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$17.92 Rp 322.6K

106.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$6.66 Rp 119.9K

-43.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

146.21%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$277 Rp 5.0M

186.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$9,324 Rp 167.8M

58.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

-24.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$38.58 Rp 694.4K

-36.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

12.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$75.1 Rp 1.4M

-5.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$282 Rp 5.1M

61.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$144 Rp 2.6M

106.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,238 Rp 22.3M

-26.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$601 Rp 10.8M

-7.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$2,161 Rp 38.9M

-10.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,072 Rp 19.3M

34.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$271 Rp 4.9M

118.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.5

-25.73%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Surabaya

$144 21.4% 51.6% $154

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Surabaya

$209 31% 11.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Surabaya

$119 17.7% 10.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Surabaya

$111 16.5% 17.5% $17

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Surabaya

$63 9.4% 19.3% $15

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 93.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Surabaya

$23 3.4% 53.7% $27

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 $282 in Surabaya. 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 118% 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 $11.00 in Surabaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $209 – making Surabaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,765,487

💱 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 Surabaya 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Surabaya

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 Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 37% more than Surabaya, 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 $1,011 in Surabaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surabaya, 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 $11.00 in Surabaya. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surabaya, where all-in costs run around $674, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Surabaya 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. Surabaya costs $674 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 Surabaya. 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.