Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malang and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Malang: $468 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Malang
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Malang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Malang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$468

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $468 per month in Malang vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Malang $468
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $717 per month in Malang vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Malang $717
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $966 per month in Malang vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Malang $966
Chiang Mai $1,999

Malang is about 50% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Malang and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Malang 65% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.09 Rp 19.6K

$2.13 ฿71.2

-48.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.13 Rp 201.2K

$18.62 ฿622

-40.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.78 Rp 50.3K

$5.60 ฿187

-50.36%

Cappuccino

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

$1.66 ฿55.5

-21.69%

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

$0.66 Rp 12.0K

$0.65 ฿21.59

1.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 Rp 3,784

$0.30 ฿10.18

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 Rp 39.2K

$2.32 ฿77.5

-6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 Rp 72.8K

$3.67 ฿122

9.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$2.02 ฿67.3

-50.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

$1.41 ฿47.00

-24.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.39 ฿46.46

-45.32%

Eggs

$1.22 Rp 22.1K

$2.37 ฿79.0

-48.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.84 Rp 105.5K

$16.52 ฿551

-64.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.90 Rp 52.5K

$2.67 ฿89.1

8.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.87 Rp 124.2K

$9.02 ฿301

-23.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

$2.40 ฿80.1

-15.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

$1.04 ฿34.76

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 Rp 28.1K

$1.66 ฿55.4

-6.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 Rp 25.2K

$1.56 ฿52.0

-10.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$1.24 ฿41.31

4.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 Rp 33.8K

$1.09 ฿36.27

71.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 Rp 8,871

$0.76 ฿25.43

-35.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,728

$0.51 ฿17.16

-15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 Rp 48.9K

$4.12 ฿138

-34.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.40 Rp 224.1K

$17.93 ฿598

-30.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

$1.62 ฿54.2

4.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 Rp 53.2K

$2.82 ฿94.2

4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

$0.93 ฿31.19

-31.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.41 Rp 97.7K

$52.9 ฿1,766

-89.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,434

$1.18 ฿39.28

-60.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 Rp 7,292

$0.17 ฿5.72

135.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.2K

$1.81 ฿60.5

209.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 Rp 14.0K

$1.47 ฿49.16

-47.62%

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

$24.9K Rp 449.9M

$21.0K ฿701.4K

18.45%

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

$26.9K Rp 486.6M

$26.5K ฿885.1K

1.52%

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

$30.94 Rp 559.2K

$62.6 ฿2,088

-50.54%

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

$2.30 Rp 41.6K

$11.60 ฿387

-80.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.02 Rp 343.9K

$20.30 ฿678

-6.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.09 Rp 254.7K

$37.88 ฿1,264

-62.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.59 Rp 83.0K

$3.70 ฿123

24.05%

Cinema Ticket

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

$6.51 ฿217

-69.74%

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

$30.83 Rp 557.3K

$727 ฿24.3K

-95.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,104 Rp 74.2M

$16.6K ฿553.2K

-75.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 Rp 994.3K

$53.5 ฿1,787

2.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.34 Rp 403.8K

$24.80 ฿828

-9.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.6 Rp 914.6K

$90.4 ฿3,017

-44.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.51 Rp 660.0K

$72.0 ฿2,402

-49.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$140 Rp 2.5M

$481 ฿16.1K

-70.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.7 Rp 1.7M

$310 ฿10.3K

-70.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$196 Rp 3.5M

$1,058 ฿35.3K

-81.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$152 Rp 2.8M

$659 ฿22.0K

-76.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 Rp 3.5M

$595 ฿19.9K

-67.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Malang: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malang

$166 35.6%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 42.3% $70

Accommodation & Living

Malang

$92 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 238% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Malang

$74 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 46.4% $34

Eating Out

Malang

$55 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 39.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malang

$52 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 80.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Malang

$18 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 182% $33

Getting Around

Malang

$10 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 462% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $140 in Malang versus $481 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 $11 in Malang versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $237 – making Malang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Malang

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

Same time as Malang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

857,891

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.53 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18,075 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.53 USD). 1 EUR = 20,291 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malang Chiang Mai 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Malang
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 100% more than Malang, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $702 per month in Malang 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 Malang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $140 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $31 per month in Malang and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Malang costs $468 versus $935 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Malang. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.