Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gili Trawangan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Gili Trawangan and in Chiang Mai: $948 and $925 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in Gili Trawangan
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Gili Trawangan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Gili Trawangan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$948

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $948 per month in Gili Trawangan vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gili Trawangan $948
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,580 per month in Gili Trawangan vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gili Trawangan $1,580
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,213 per month in Gili Trawangan vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gili Trawangan $2,213
Chiang Mai $1,903

Gili Trawangan costs about 2% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Gili Trawangan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Gili Trawangan 30% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

$2.29 ฿76.5

-2.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.76 Rp 427.7K

$19.64 ฿656

20.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 Rp 67.4K

$5.61 ฿188

-33.33%

Cappuccino

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

$1.66 ฿55.6

10.24%

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

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

$0.70 ฿23.40

55.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 Rp 9,840

$0.31 ฿10.24

77.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$2.41 ฿80.4

-26.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

$3.71 ฿124

-19.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

$1.95 ฿65.3

-40.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 Rp 31.6K

$1.41 ฿47.03

24.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

$1.31 ฿43.62

-28.24%

Eggs

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$2.18 ฿72.9

-24.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 Rp 234.2K

$16.65 ฿556

-21.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 Rp 53.9K

$2.76 ฿92.2

8.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.03 Rp 162.6K

$9.11 ฿304

-0.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$2.39 ฿80.0

12.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

$1.03 ฿34.26

12.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 Rp 31.9K

$1.63 ฿54.4

8.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 Rp 26.2K

$1.50 ฿50.0

-3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

$1.29 ฿43.13

6.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$1.11 ฿37.03

58.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 Rp 13.4K

$0.72 ฿24.08

2.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 Rp 7,341

$0.53 ฿17.59

-22.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.73 Rp 31.1K

$4.31 ฿144

-59.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.33 Rp 311.9K

$17.95 ฿600

-3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 Rp 31.6K

$1.58 ฿52.9

10.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

$2.84 ฿95.0

-21.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,778

$0.86 ฿28.86

-75.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.14 Rp 128.5K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-86.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 Rp 7,268

$1.21 ฿40.29

-66.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 Rp 6,649

$0.57 ฿18.99

-35.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 Rp 91.6K

$2.35 ฿78.6

116.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 Rp 12.3K

$1.44 ฿47.96

-52.78%

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

$20.6K Rp 370.8M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-0.62%

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

$28.0K Rp 503.7M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

4.41%

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

$69.7 Rp 1.3M

$62.3 ฿2,083

11.79%

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

$5.49 Rp 98.9K

$12.11 ฿405

-54.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.46 Rp 278.3K

$19.94 ฿666

-22.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.13 Rp 704.3K

$37.07 ฿1,239

5.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.90 Rp 232.3K

$3.78 ฿126

241.27%

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 Rp 55.6K

$6.50 ฿217

-52.46%

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

$347 Rp 6.3M

$793 ฿26.5K

-56.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,182 Rp 75.3M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-71.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.51 Rp 693.1K

$53.7 ฿1,796

-28.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.37 Rp 546.7K

$24.62 ฿823

23.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.6 Rp 1.2M

$90.9 ฿3,036

-26.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.8 Rp 1.2M

$71.1 ฿2,378

-4.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 Rp 12.2M

$455 ฿15.2K

48.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 Rp 7.5M

$298 ฿9,954

40.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,150 Rp 38.7M

$908 ฿30.4K

136.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 Rp 18.8M

$554 ฿18.5K

88.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,665 Rp 30.0M

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-13.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,371 Rp 24.7M

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-5.10%

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 Trawangan: October 19, 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 Trawangan

$419 44.2%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 28.9% $121

Groceries & Markets

Gili Trawangan

$219 23.1%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 7.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Gili Trawangan

$92 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 18.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gili Trawangan

$91 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 4.1% $3.7

Eating Out

Gili Trawangan

$72 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 8.5% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Gili Trawangan

$45 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 10.5% $4.8

Getting Around

Gili Trawangan

$10 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 494% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Gili Trawangan 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 $24.00 in Gili Trawangan versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $219 in Gili Trawangan vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Gili Trawangan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Gili Trawangan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:14 11:14 AM

10:14 10:14 AM

1 h behind Gili Trawangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,500

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 25, 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 25, 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 Trawangan Chiang Mai 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Gili Trawangan costs about 2% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,422 per month in Gili Trawangan 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $347 per month in Gili Trawangan and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Gili Trawangan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Gili Trawangan at $948. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gili Trawangan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $948 in Gili Trawangan. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gili Trawangan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.