Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Yogyakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Yogyakarta: $650 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most 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

$906

/mo nomad

Yogyakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$650

/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 $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $650 in Yogyakarta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Yogyakarta $650

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $893 in Yogyakarta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Yogyakarta $893

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,136 in Yogyakarta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Yogyakarta $1,136

Chiang Mai costs about 39% 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 32% lower, Yogyakarta 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$1.09 Rp 19.4K

95.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$13.42 Rp 239.9K

44.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$3.26 Rp 58.3K

67.79%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$1.27 Rp 22.7K

32.28%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$0.40 Rp 7,191

65.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$0.23 Rp 4,093

47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$2.45 Rp 43.8K

-1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$3.68 Rp 65.8K

1.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$1.17 Rp 20.9K

76.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$1.04 Rp 18.5K

40.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$0.82 Rp 14.7K

64.63%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$1.30 Rp 23.2K

74.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$5.74 Rp 102.7K

184.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$3.05 Rp 54.6K

-11.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$5.46 Rp 97.6K

68.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$2.58 Rp 46.1K

-7.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$1.20 Rp 21.4K

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$1.17 Rp 20.9K

36.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

53.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$1.05 Rp 18.8K

23.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

-41.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$0.40 Rp 7,152

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$0.44 Rp 7,797

15.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$2.81 Rp 50.2K

46.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$20.62 Rp 368.5K

-13.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$2.17 Rp 38.8K

-24.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$3.70 Rp 66.2K

-22.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$0.22 Rp 4,008

290.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$8.67 Rp 154.9K

513.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$1.36 Rp 24.3K

-10.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$0.41 Rp 7,311

36.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

$4.57 Rp 81.6K

-49.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$0.79 Rp 14.1K

89.87%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$15.7K Rp 280.8M

32.77%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$27.1K Rp 484.5M

-1.36%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$66.7 Rp 1.2M

-8.21%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$4.87 Rp 87.0K

156.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$20.75 Rp 370.9K

-1.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$19.86 Rp 355.0K

91.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$2.57 Rp 46.0K

156.81%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$83.2 Rp 1.5M

830.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$4,111 Rp 73.5M

251.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$53.3 Rp 952.6K

2.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$32.26 Rp 576.7K

-21.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$82.2 Rp 1.5M

10.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

-18.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$213 Rp 3.8M

115.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$158 Rp 2.8M

85.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$585 Rp 10.5M

57.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$135 Rp 2.4M

308.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$1,676 Rp 30.0M

14.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$223 Rp 4.0M

547.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$224 Rp 4.0M

164.32%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Yogyakarta: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Yogyakarta

$158 24.7% 46.1% $135

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Yogyakarta

$182 28.4% 22.8% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Yogyakarta

$116 18% 5.6% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Yogyakarta

$92 14.4% 1.9% $1.8

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Yogyakarta

$56 8.7% 27.8% $21

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Yogyakarta

$13 2% 78.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Yogyakarta

$25 3.9% 51.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $213 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 164% 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 $13.00 in Yogyakarta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $182 – making Yogyakarta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇩 Yogyakarta

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

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 = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 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 39% 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 $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $975 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 $774 per month in Chiang Mai and $83.2 in Yogyakarta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 $650, than in Chiang Mai at $906. 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 $650 versus $906 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.