Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manado and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Manado: $562 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Manado
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Manado Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Manado

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$562

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $562 per month in Manado vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Manado $562
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $888 per month in Manado vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Manado $888
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,214 per month in Manado vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Manado $1,214
Chiang Mai $1,979

Manado is about 40% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Manado and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Manado 59% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.42 Rp 25.8K

$2.24 ฿75.5

-36.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.22 Rp 294.5K

$19.00 ฿640

-14.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.80 Rp 50.9K

$5.55 ฿187

-49.55%

Cappuccino

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

$1.67 ฿56.4

1.80%

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

$0.61 Rp 11.0K

$0.64 ฿21.51

-4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,573

$0.31 ฿10.29

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 Rp 61.0K

$2.36 ฿79.5

42.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 Rp 48.7K

$3.66 ฿123

-26.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 Rp 24.7K

$1.95 ฿65.7

-30.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 Rp 18.8K

$1.44 ฿48.41

-27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 Rp 12.9K

$1.33 ฿44.97

-46.62%

Eggs

$1.86 Rp 33.8K

$2.28 ฿77.0

-18.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.53 Rp 300.2K

$16.45 ฿554

0.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.68 Rp 48.7K

$2.78 ฿93.8

-3.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.38 Rp 116.0K

$9.31 ฿314

-31.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 Rp 40.9K

$2.35 ฿79.3

-4.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 Rp 26.2K

$0.97 ฿32.75

48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

$1.60 ฿53.8

-21.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.95 Rp 17.3K

$1.50 ฿50.6

-36.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 Rp 15.1K

$1.28 ฿43.06

-35.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 Rp 50.3K

$1.10 ฿37.14

151.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 Rp 16.4K

$0.71 ฿23.79

26.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,781

$0.49 ฿16.34

-12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 Rp 42.9K

$4.14 ฿140

-43.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.63 Rp 374.6K

$17.52 ฿590

17.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

$1.61 ฿54.4

13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 Rp 53.2K

$2.78 ฿93.8

5.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 Rp 5,635

$0.87 ฿29.27

-64.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.15 Rp 220.6K

$54.1 ฿1,823

-77.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.53 Rp 9,616

$1.16 ฿39.00

-54.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 Rp 5,703

$0.53 ฿17.78

-41.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 Rp 47.4K

$2.42 ฿81.6

7.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 Rp 10.8K

$1.45 ฿48.82

-59.31%

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

$25.2K Rp 456.8M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

19.43%

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

$31.3K Rp 569.3M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

16.36%

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

$53.0 Rp 962.0K

$62.2 ฿2,095

-14.80%

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

$4.44 Rp 80.6K

$12.17 ฿410

-63.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.98 Rp 254.0K

$20.12 ฿678

-30.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.65 Rp 229.8K

$37.31 ฿1,257

-66.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.42 Rp 152.9K

$3.77 ฿127

123.34%

Cinema Ticket

$2.44 Rp 44.3K

$6.49 ฿219

-62.40%

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

$124 Rp 2.3M

$736 ฿24.8K

-83.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,574 Rp 83.1M

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-69.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 Rp 996.8K

$53.4 ฿1,799

2.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 Rp 359.5K

$24.64 ฿830

-19.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 Rp 1.2M

$91.5 ฿3,083

-25.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.3 Rp 1.1M

$71.9 ฿2,424

-14.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 Rp 4.4M

$482 ฿16.3K

-49.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

$309 ฿10.4K

-73.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 Rp 5.4M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-70.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 Rp 3.1M

$633 ฿21.3K

-73.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,138 Rp 20.7M

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-51.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$787 Rp 14.3M

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-50.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$212 Rp 3.9M

$590 ฿19.9K

-64.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

79.53%

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

Last update for Manado: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manado

$219 39%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 6.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Manado

$92 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 18.5% $17

Accommodation & Living

Manado

$81 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 280% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manado

$71 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 32.3% $23

Eating Out

Manado

$66 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 18.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Manado

$18 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 187% $33

Getting Around

Manado

$15 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 296% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $244 in Manado 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 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Manado versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $219 vs $234 – making Manado the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Manado

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

09:09 9:09 AM

1 h behind Manado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,257

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,355 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manado Chiang Mai 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Manado
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 66% more than Manado, 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 $843 per month in Manado 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 Manado, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $244 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $124 per month in Manado 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 7% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Manado – 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 Manado. 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.