Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Surakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Surakarta: $589 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Surakarta
Learn more

Surakarta Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $589 in Surakarta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Surakarta $589

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $933 in Surakarta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Surakarta $933

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,278 in Surakarta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Surakarta $1,278

Chiang Mai costs about 59% more than Surakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Surakarta are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Surakarta 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

31.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$11.39 Rp 206.4K

66.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.06 Rp 55.4K

81.37%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.55 Rp 28.2K

7.74%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.53 Rp 9,655

20.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.23 Rp 4,143

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

68.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.78 Rp 50.4K

31.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

126.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.74 Rp 13.4K

94.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

77.33%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

128.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.78 Rp 141.0K

111.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

71.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.32 Rp 96.4K

75.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

19.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

-25.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.80 Rp 32.5K

-11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

6.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.36 Rp 24.7K

-5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.64 Rp 29.7K

-32.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.53 Rp 9,559

33.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.43 Rp 7,776

13.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.93 Rp 34.9K

114.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.23 Rp 149.2K

112.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.61 Rp 29.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.97 Rp 53.7K

-6.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.41 Rp 7,394

112.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$11.35 Rp 205.6K

376.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.47 Rp 8,480

146.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.43 Rp 7,739

23.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

-6.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

85.90%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$25.0K Rp 453.6M

-15.87%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$32.9K Rp 596.2M

-18.12%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

-19.99%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

490.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$18.73 Rp 339.3K

7.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$16.13 Rp 292.3K

131.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$8.31 Rp 150.6K

-54.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

245.21%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$33.22 Rp 601.9K

2115.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$1,841 Rp 33.4M

702.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$58.8 Rp 1.1M

-9.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$36.70 Rp 665.0K

-32.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$68.2 Rp 1.2M

34.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$65.7 Rp 1.2M

9.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$223 Rp 4.0M

116.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$147 Rp 2.7M

109.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$559 Rp 10.1M

79.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$367 Rp 6.7M

72.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,102 Rp 20.0M

114.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$712 Rp 12.9M

123.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$155 Rp 2.8M

280.77%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Surakarta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Surakarta

$147 25% 52.3% $162

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Surakarta

$147 25% 37.1% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Surakarta

$103 17.5% 5% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Surakarta

$98 16.7% 4.3% $4

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Surakarta

$57 9.7% 26.5% $21

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Surakarta

$16 2.7% 74.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Surakarta

$20 3.4% 60.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $223 in Surakarta. 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 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $11 in Surakarta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $147 – making Surakarta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

503,421

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Surakarta 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Surakarta

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 Surakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 59% more than Surakarta, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $883 in Surakarta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surakarta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $33 in Surakarta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% 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 $589 in Surakarta, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Surakarta – 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 Surakarta. 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.