Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gili Air and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Gili Air: $812 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

39

Cost of Living Index in Gili Air
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Gili Air Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Gili Air

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$812

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gili Air 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 Gili Air and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $812 per month in Gili Air vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gili Air $812
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,337 per month in Gili Air vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gili Air $1,337
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,861 per month in Gili Air vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gili Air $1,861
Chiang Mai $1,903

Gili Air is about 12% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Gili Air and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Gili Air 40% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

$2.29 ฿76.5

-19.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.34 Rp 348.1K

$19.64 ฿656

-1.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

$5.61 ฿188

-46.70%

Cappuccino

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

$1.66 ฿55.6

-13.86%

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

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

$0.70 ฿23.40

24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,928

$0.31 ฿10.24

41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

$2.41 ฿80.4

-39.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 Rp 43.9K

$3.71 ฿124

-34.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

$1.95 ฿65.3

-42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 Rp 28.7K

$1.41 ฿47.03

13.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.31 ฿43.62

-38.17%

Eggs

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

$2.18 ฿72.9

-32.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.29 Rp 221.3K

$16.65 ฿556

-26.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.82 Rp 50.7K

$2.76 ฿92.2

2.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.56 Rp 154.0K

$9.11 ฿304

-6.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 Rp 44.9K

$2.39 ฿80.0

4.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

$1.03 ฿34.26

10.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 Rp 30.2K

$1.63 ฿54.4

3.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

$1.50 ฿50.0

-8.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.0K

$1.29 ฿43.13

3.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

$1.11 ฿37.03

54.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$0.72 ฿24.08

1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 Rp 6,869

$0.53 ฿17.59

-28.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.59 Rp 28.7K

$4.31 ฿144

-63.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 Rp 284.0K

$17.95 ฿600

-12.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 Rp 30.5K

$1.58 ฿52.9

6.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

$2.84 ฿95.0

-27.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 Rp 3,182

$0.86 ฿28.86

-79.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.64 Rp 119.6K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-87.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 Rp 6,851

$1.21 ฿40.29

-68.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 Rp 6,206

$0.57 ฿18.99

-40.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 Rp 90.6K

$2.35 ฿78.6

114.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

$1.44 ฿47.96

-50.69%

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

$19.0K Rp 342.1M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-8.32%

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

$25.7K Rp 461.8M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-4.27%

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

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

$62.3 ฿2,083

3.43%

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

$5.21 Rp 93.7K

$12.11 ฿405

-56.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.68 Rp 264.3K

$19.94 ฿666

-26.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.16 Rp 578.8K

$37.07 ฿1,239

-13.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.43 Rp 187.8K

$3.78 ฿126

175.93%

Cinema Ticket

$2.51 Rp 45.1K

$6.50 ฿217

-61.38%

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

$336 Rp 6.0M

$793 ฿26.5K

-57.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,931 Rp 70.8M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-73.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.54 Rp 675.7K

$53.7 ฿1,796

-30.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.70 Rp 516.5K

$24.62 ฿823

16.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.6 Rp 1.1M

$90.9 ฿3,036

-29.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.0 Rp 1.1M

$71.1 ฿2,378

-11.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 Rp 9.8M

$455 ฿15.2K

19.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 Rp 6.0M

$298 ฿9,954

11.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,705 Rp 30.7M

$908 ฿30.4K

87.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 Rp 14.5M

$554 ฿18.5K

45.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,306 Rp 23.5M

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-32.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,074 Rp 19.3M

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-25.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.57

147.40%

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

Last update for Gili Air: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gili Air

$331 40.8%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 10.1% $33

Groceries & Markets

Gili Air

$205 25.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 14.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Gili Air

$87 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 24.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gili Air

$84 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 11.9% $10

Eating Out

Gili Air

$58 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 34.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Gili Air

$37 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 34.7% $13

Getting Around

Gili Air

$9.5 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 543% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $543 in Gili Air versus $455 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 $19.00 in Gili Air versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $235 – making Gili Air the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Gili Air

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:53 6:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

1 h behind Gili Air

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gili Air Chiang Mai 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Gili Air
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

Gili Air vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Gili Air, 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 $1,218 per month in Gili Air and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $336 per month in Gili Air and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% 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 Gili Air, where all-in costs run around $812, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Gili Air 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. Gili Air costs $812 versus $925 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 Gili Air. 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.