Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Yogyakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Yogyakarta: $644 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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 Yogyakarta
Learn more

Yogyakarta Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Yogyakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $644 in Yogyakarta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Yogyakarta $644

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $892 in Yogyakarta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Yogyakarta $892

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,140 in Yogyakarta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Yogyakarta $1,140

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Yogyakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Yogyakarta are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Yogyakarta 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$1.09 Rp 19.6K

107.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$13.62 Rp 245.1K

40.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$3.32 Rp 59.8K

68.37%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

35.43%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.38 Rp 6,795

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.23 Rp 4,139

43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.57 Rp 46.3K

-8.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.71 Rp 66.7K

5.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

73.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.09 Rp 19.6K

28.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$0.77 Rp 13.9K

66.23%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.35 Rp 24.4K

66.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$5.42 Rp 97.6K

212.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$2.90 Rp 52.2K

-5.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$5.45 Rp 98.0K

71.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.61 Rp 47.0K

-8.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.22 Rp 21.9K

-17.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.16 Rp 20.9K

38.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

72.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.02 Rp 18.3K

25.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.00 Rp 35.9K

-44.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.43 Rp 7,761

67.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.46 Rp 8,321

13.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.81 Rp 50.7K

54.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$20.61 Rp 371.0K

-13.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.17 Rp 39.1K

-24.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.71 Rp 66.9K

-23.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.20 Rp 3,689

325.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$8.65 Rp 155.8K

523.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.44 Rp 25.9K

-18.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.41 Rp 7,309

39.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$4.41 Rp 79.4K

-46.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

72.62%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$15.9K Rp 286.1M

28.84%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$27.1K Rp 488.3M

-2.26%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$67.0 Rp 1.2M

-6.90%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$4.71 Rp 84.8K

160.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$20.54 Rp 369.7K

-2.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$20.06 Rp 361.1K

88.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$8.41 Rp 151.3K

-55.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$2.54 Rp 45.7K

164.17%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

839.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$4,076 Rp 73.4M

263.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$52.9 Rp 952.9K

0.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$32.60 Rp 586.9K

-23.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$82.0 Rp 1.5M

11.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$92.4 Rp 1.7M

-20.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$210 Rp 3.8M

121.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$159 Rp 2.9M

91.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$590 Rp 10.6M

55.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$133 Rp 2.4M

315.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$1,691 Rp 30.4M

13.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$219 Rp 3.9M

557.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$220 Rp 4.0M

170.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.45

-34.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Yogyakarta: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Yogyakarta

$159 24.7% 47.9% $146

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Yogyakarta

$182 28.2% 23.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Yogyakarta

$117 18.2% 6.8% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Yogyakarta

$92 14.3% 2.5% $2.4

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Yogyakarta

$57 8.8% 28.3% $22

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Yogyakarta

$13 2% 78.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Yogyakarta

$25 3.9% 51% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $210 in Yogyakarta. 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 171% 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $14.00 in Yogyakarta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $182 – making Yogyakarta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Yogyakarta

🕒 Local time

17:48 5:48 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

636,660

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Yogyakarta 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Yogyakarta

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 Yogyakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Yogyakarta, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $966 in Yogyakarta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $84.8 in Yogyakarta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% 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 Yogyakarta, where all-in costs run around $644, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Yogyakarta 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. Yogyakarta costs $644 versus $938 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 Yogyakarta. 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.