Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jambi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Jambi: $614 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Jambi
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Jambi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Jambi

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$614

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $614 per month in Jambi vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jambi $614
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $977 per month in Jambi vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jambi $977
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,340 per month in Jambi vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jambi $1,340
Chiang Mai $1,979

Jambi is about 34% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Jambi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Jambi 55% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.50 Rp 27.2K

$2.24 ฿75.6

-33.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.18 Rp 221.0K

$19.00 ฿641

-35.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 Rp 51.1K

$5.55 ฿187

-49.19%

Cappuccino

$1.32 Rp 24.0K

$1.67 ฿56.5

-20.96%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,726

$0.64 ฿21.54

-32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 Rp 3,132

$0.31 ฿10.31

-45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 Rp 38.4K

$2.36 ฿79.5

-10.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 Rp 63.7K

$3.66 ฿124

-4.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$1.95 ฿65.7

-39.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 Rp 18.5K

$1.44 ฿48.46

-29.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 Rp 15.7K

$1.33 ฿45.03

-35.34%

Eggs

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

$2.28 ฿77.1

-35.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 Rp 146.7K

$16.45 ฿555

-50.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$2.78 ฿93.9

-2.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.31 Rp 132.7K

$9.31 ฿314

-21.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$2.35 ฿79.4

-5.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.5K

$0.97 ฿32.79

32.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.5K

$1.60 ฿53.9

-1.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.50 ฿50.6

-20.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

$1.28 ฿43.11

-6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

$1.10 ฿37.18

78.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 Rp 16.0K

$0.71 ฿23.82

23.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,797

$0.49 ฿16.36

-12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$4.14 ฿140

-35.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.44 Rp 407.1K

$17.52 ฿591

28.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.61 ฿54.5

14.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 Rp 52.0K

$2.78 ฿93.9

3.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,705

$0.87 ฿29.30

-70.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.33 Rp 205.6K

$54.1 ฿1,825

-79.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 8,984

$1.16 ฿39.04

-56.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 Rp 5,593

$0.53 ฿17.80

-41.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$2.42 ฿81.7

24.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 Rp 18.4K

$1.45 ฿48.88

-29.66%

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

$23.0K Rp 416.6M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

9.03%

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

$36.3K Rp 658.0M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

34.60%

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

$73.6 Rp 1.3M

$62.2 ฿2,098

18.37%

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

$3.81 Rp 69.2K

$12.17 ฿411

-68.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.48 Rp 317.2K

$20.12 ฿679

-13.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.36 Rp 278.8K

$37.31 ฿1,259

-58.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.55 Rp 155.2K

$3.77 ฿127

126.79%

Cinema Ticket

$2.71 Rp 49.2K

$6.49 ฿219

-58.24%

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

$86.2 Rp 1.6M

$736 ฿24.8K

-88.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,342 Rp 151.4M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-43.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.73 Rp 775.3K

$53.4 ฿1,801

-19.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.73 Rp 575.7K

$24.64 ฿831

28.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 Rp 1.3M

$91.5 ฿3,087

-20.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.6 Rp 1.2M

$71.9 ฿2,427

-7.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$482 ฿16.3K

-55.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$134 Rp 2.4M

$309 ฿10.4K

-56.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 Rp 10.3M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-43.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 Rp 6.3M

$633 ฿21.4K

-44.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,148 Rp 20.8M

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-51.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$759 Rp 13.8M

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-52.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$198 Rp 3.6M

$590 ฿19.9K

-66.35%

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 Jambi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jambi

$198 32.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 18.2% $36

Accommodation & Living

Jambi

$134 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 131% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Jambi

$96 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 13.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jambi

$95 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 0.4% $0.4

Eating Out

Jambi

$56 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 37.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Jambi

$21 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 142% $30

Getting Around

Jambi

$14 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 326% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Jambi 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.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Jambi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $234 – making Jambi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Jambi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

Same time as Jambi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

750,857

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,281 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jambi Chiang Mai 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Jambi
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

Jambi vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 52% more than Jambi, 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 $921 per month in Jambi and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jambi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $215 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $86 per month in Jambi and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $614 in Jambi and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Jambi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Jambi. 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.