Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ende and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ende: $604 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Ende, Indonesia
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Ende
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$604
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ende and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $604 per month in Ende vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Ende $604
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $972 per month in Ende vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Ende $972
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,339 per month in Ende vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Ende $1,339
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Ende is about 35% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ende and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ende 56% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ende
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.44 Rp 26.2K
$2.24 ฿75.6
-35.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.61 Rp 283.2K
$19.00 ฿641
-17.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.07 Rp 55.7K
$5.55 ฿187
-44.68%
Cappuccino
$1.55 Rp 28.2K
$1.67 ฿56.5
-7.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 Rp 7,868
$0.64 ฿21.55
-32.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.22 Rp 3,958
$0.31 ฿10.31
-29.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.40 Rp 43.5K
$2.36 ฿79.6
1.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 Rp 59.4K
$3.66 ฿124
-10.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ende
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 Rp 20.2K
$1.95 ฿65.8
-42.56%
White Bread (500g)
$0.93 Rp 16.8K
$1.44 ฿48.48
-35.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.72 Rp 13.1K
$1.33 ฿45.04
-45.86%
Eggs
$1.38 Rp 25.1K
$2.28 ฿77.1
-39.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.69 Rp 139.5K
$16.45 ฿555
-53.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.59 Rp 47.0K
$2.78 ฿93.9
-6.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.02 Rp 127.4K
$9.31 ฿314
-24.60%
Apples (1kg)
$2.06 Rp 37.3K
$2.35 ฿79.4
-12.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 Rp 25.5K
$0.97 ฿32.80
44.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.65 Rp 29.9K
$1.60 ฿53.9
3.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.04 Rp 18.9K
$1.50 ฿50.6
-30.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.12 Rp 20.4K
$1.28 ฿43.12
-12.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$1.10 ฿37.19
79.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.91 Rp 16.5K
$0.71 ฿23.82
28.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.37 Rp 6,778
$0.49 ฿16.37
-24.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.51 Rp 45.6K
$4.14 ฿140
-39.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.00 Rp 344.5K
$17.52 ฿591
8.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 Rp 28.9K
$1.61 ฿54.5
-1.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.56 Rp 46.4K
$2.78 ฿94.0
-7.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Ende
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,233
$0.87 ฿29.31
-73.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.72 Rp 212.5K
$54.1 ฿1,826
-78.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.46 Rp 8,313
$1.16 ฿39.06
-60.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.29 Rp 5,265
$0.53 ฿17.80
-45.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.55 Rp 46.3K
$2.42 ฿81.8
5.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.77 Rp 13.9K
$1.45 ฿48.90
-46.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.3K Rp 423.2M
$21.1K ฿710.7K
10.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K Rp 492.9M
$26.9K ฿909.3K
0.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ende
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.3 Rp 1.1M
$62.2 ฿2,098
-1.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.19 Rp 76.0K
$12.17 ฿411
-65.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.13 Rp 310.8K
$20.12 ฿679
-14.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ende
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.01 Rp 363.0K
$37.31 ฿1,259
-46.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.40 Rp 152.4K
$3.77 ฿127
122.81%
Cinema Ticket
$2.56 Rp 46.3K
$6.49 ฿219
-60.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ende
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$102 Rp 1.9M
$736 ฿24.8K
-86.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,365 Rp 133.6M
$14.8K ฿498.3K
-50.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ende
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$38.25 Rp 693.7K
$53.4 ฿1,801
-28.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.29 Rp 567.5K
$24.64 ฿831
26.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.9 Rp 1.3M
$91.5 ฿3,087
-23.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.4 Rp 1.3M
$71.9 ฿2,428
3.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ende
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$209 Rp 3.8M
$482 ฿16.3K
-56.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$142 Rp 2.6M
$309 ฿10.4K
-54.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$524 Rp 9.5M
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-47.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$355 Rp 6.4M
$633 ฿21.4K
-43.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,080 Rp 19.6M
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-54.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$721 Rp 13.1M
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-54.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ende
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$590 ฿19.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.46
5.57
69.84%

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

Last update for Ende: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Ende
$183
Chiang Mai
$234 28.1% $51
Accommodation & Living
Ende
$142
Chiang Mai
$309 118% $167
Clothing & Footwear
Ende
$96
Chiang Mai
$109 12.9% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ende
$83
Chiang Mai
$94 14.4% $12
Eating Out
Ende
$61
Chiang Mai
$78 28.1% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Ende
$25
Chiang Mai
$50 100% $25
Getting Around
Ende
$15
Chiang Mai
$61 321% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $209 in Ende versus $482 in Chiang Mai. 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 $16 in Ende versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $234 – making Ende the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ende
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
12:36 12:36 PM
11:36 11:36 AM
1 h behind Ende
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
60,000
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ende Chiang Mai 3,950 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ende
  • Chiang Mai

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
Ende vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ende or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 55% more than Ende, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ende and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $906 per month in Ende and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Ende or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ende, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $209 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Ende and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $102 per month in Ende and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Ende or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 28% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Ende – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Ende 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.

Ende vs other spots: cost of living compared

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