Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tanjung Balai Karimun

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanjung Balai Karimun: $610 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Tanjung Balai Karimun
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Tanjung Balai Karimun Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Tanjung Balai Karimun

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Tanjung Balai Karimun

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 Tanjung Balai Karimun actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $610 in Tanjung Balai Karimun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Tanjung Balai Karimun $610

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,014 in Tanjung Balai Karimun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Tanjung Balai Karimun $1,014

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,417 in Tanjung Balai Karimun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Tanjung Balai Karimun $1,417

Chiang Mai costs about 53% more than Tanjung Balai Karimun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Tanjung Balai Karimun are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Tanjung Balai Karimun 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.60 Rp 29.0K

40.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$13.72 Rp 248.8K

38.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.27 Rp 59.4K

69.72%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

14.38%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.46 Rp 8,275

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.24 Rp 4,374

29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.16 Rp 39.2K

9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.63 Rp 65.8K

0.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.03 Rp 18.6K

89.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.09 Rp 19.8K

32.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.73 Rp 13.3K

82.19%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

40.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.40 Rp 134.3K

122.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.90 Rp 52.6K

-4.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.49 Rp 153.9K

9.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.36 Rp 42.7K

-0.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

-19.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

8.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

16.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

18.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

-45.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

-8.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.42 Rp 7,677

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

60.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$20.80 Rp 377.3K

-15.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.77 Rp 32.0K

-9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.32 Rp 60.1K

-16.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.22 Rp 3,997

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$9.92 Rp 180.0K

445.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.49 Rp 8,939

136.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.35 Rp 6,363

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.91 Rp 52.8K

-16.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

101.39%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$25.6K Rp 464.0M

-17.69%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$34.6K Rp 627.3M

-22.10%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$68.4 Rp 1.2M

-9.08%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$4.25 Rp 77.1K

186.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$20.80 Rp 377.2K

-3.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$18.27 Rp 331.4K

104.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$8.18 Rp 148.4K

-53.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.96 Rp 53.7K

119.26%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$90.4 Rp 1.6M

714.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$7,256 Rp 131.6M

103.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$46.89 Rp 850.5K

13.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$31.72 Rp 575.3K

-22.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$70.4 Rp 1.3M

30.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$60.6 Rp 1.1M

18.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$196 Rp 3.5M

146.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$128 Rp 2.3M

142.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$529 Rp 9.6M

90.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$411 Rp 7.5M

54.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,280 Rp 23.2M

84.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$742 Rp 13.5M

114.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Tanjung Balai Karimun: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$128 20.9% 58.7% $181

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$197 32.2% 16.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$94 15.5% 13.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$93 15.3% 1.1% $1

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$61 10% 21.4% $17

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$13 2.1% 78.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$24 4% 51.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $196 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $14 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $197 – making Tanjung Balai Karimun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Tanjung Balai Karimun

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

48,953

💱 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Tanjung Balai Karimun 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tanjung Balai Karimun

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 Tanjung Balai Karimun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 53% more than Tanjung Balai Karimun, 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 $915 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tanjung Balai Karimun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $196 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $90 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

For expats, Tanjung Balai Karimun is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 35% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.