Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jayapura and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Jayapura: $647 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Jayapura
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Jayapura Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Jayapura

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$647

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Jayapura vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jayapura $647
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $994 per month in Jayapura vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jayapura $994
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,342 per month in Jayapura vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jayapura $1,342
Chiang Mai $1,979

Jayapura is about 31% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Jayapura and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Jayapura 52% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.69 Rp 30.5K

$2.24 ฿75.7

-24.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.93 Rp 178.9K

$19.00 ฿642

-47.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.02 Rp 54.4K

$5.55 ฿188

-45.59%

Cappuccino

$1.99 Rp 35.8K

$1.67 ฿56.6

19.16%

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

$0.65 Rp 11.7K

$0.64 ฿21.56

1.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 Rp 3,988

$0.31 ฿10.32

-29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 Rp 60.5K

$2.36 ฿79.6

42.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 Rp 50.7K

$3.66 ฿124

-23.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Rp 21.4K

$1.95 ฿65.8

-38.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$1.44 ฿48.51

-31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$1.33 ฿45.07

-38.35%

Eggs

$1.39 Rp 25.1K

$2.28 ฿77.1

-39.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.95 Rp 125.2K

$16.45 ฿556

-57.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

$2.78 ฿94.0

3.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.31 Rp 131.7K

$9.31 ฿314

-21.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 Rp 38.5K

$2.35 ฿79.5

-9.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$0.97 ฿32.82

34.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.3K

$1.60 ฿53.9

-5.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

$1.50 ฿50.7

-16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.7K

$1.28 ฿43.15

-1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.5K

$1.10 ฿37.22

79.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

$0.71 ฿23.84

26.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 Rp 8,241

$0.49 ฿16.38

-6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.61 Rp 47.0K

$4.14 ฿140

-36.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.38 Rp 385.3K

$17.52 ฿592

22.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 Rp 29.3K

$1.61 ฿54.5

0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 Rp 52.8K

$2.78 ฿94.0

5.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,928

$0.87 ฿29.33

-68.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.81 Rp 212.8K

$54.1 ฿1,827

-78.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 Rp 9,794

$1.16 ฿39.08

-53.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 Rp 5,719

$0.53 ฿17.82

-39.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 Rp 58.2K

$2.42 ฿81.8

33.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 Rp 13.1K

$1.45 ฿48.93

-49.66%

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

$23.9K Rp 431.4M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

13.64%

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

$34.0K Rp 612.5M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

26.14%

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

$69.4 Rp 1.3M

$62.2 ฿2,100

11.61%

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

$4.56 Rp 82.3K

$12.17 ฿411

-62.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 Rp 316.2K

$20.12 ฿680

-12.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.53 Rp 279.9K

$37.31 ฿1,260

-58.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.13 Rp 146.5K

$3.77 ฿127

115.65%

Cinema Ticket

$2.42 Rp 43.5K

$6.49 ฿219

-62.71%

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

$96.2 Rp 1.7M

$736 ฿24.9K

-86.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,295 Rp 149.5M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-43.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.63 Rp 678.2K

$53.4 ฿1,802

-29.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.25 Rp 563.2K

$24.64 ฿832

26.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 Rp 1.5M

$91.5 ฿3,089

-10.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.4 Rp 1.2M

$71.9 ฿2,429

-10.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 Rp 4.0M

$482 ฿16.3K

-54.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 Rp 2.9M

$309 ฿10.4K

-48.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 Rp 9.7M

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-46.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 Rp 6.2M

$633 ฿21.4K

-45.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,311 Rp 23.6M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-44.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$692 Rp 12.5M

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-56.47%

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 Jayapura: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jayapura

$192 29.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 22.1% $42

Accommodation & Living

Jayapura

$159 24.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 94.1% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Jayapura

$97 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 12.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jayapura

$92 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 3.2% $3

Eating Out

Jayapura

$72 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 7.2% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Jayapura

$20 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 147% $30

Getting Around

Jayapura

$15 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 308% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Jayapura 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 $10 in Jayapura versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $234 – making Jayapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Jayapura

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

2 h behind Jayapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

233,859

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,025 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,061 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jayapura Chiang Mai 5,140 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Jayapura
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 45% more than Jayapura, 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 $970 per month in Jayapura 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 Jayapura, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $220 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $96 per month in Jayapura 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 22% 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.

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

For expats, Jayapura is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 45% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.