Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mataram and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Mataram: $605 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Mataram
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Mataram Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mataram

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$605

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $605 per month in Mataram vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mataram $605
Chiang Mai $936

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

Mataram $977
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,348 per month in Mataram vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mataram $1,348
Chiang Mai $1,979

Mataram is about 35% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Mataram and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mataram 56% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$2.24 ฿75.6

-55.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.82 Rp 159.8K

$19.00 ฿641

-53.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.24 Rp 58.7K

$5.55 ฿187

-41.62%

Cappuccino

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

$1.67 ฿56.5

-8.38%

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

$0.46 Rp 8,344

$0.64 ฿21.54

-28.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 Rp 5,390

$0.31 ฿10.31

-3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 Rp 48.5K

$2.36 ฿79.5

13.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 Rp 61.0K

$3.66 ฿124

-8.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 Rp 24.9K

$1.95 ฿65.7

-29.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

$1.44 ฿48.46

2.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

$1.33 ฿45.03

-36.84%

Eggs

$1.39 Rp 25.2K

$2.28 ฿77.1

-39.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.07 Rp 146.3K

$16.45 ฿555

-50.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.85 Rp 51.7K

$2.78 ฿93.9

2.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.47 Rp 135.4K

$9.31 ฿314

-19.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

$2.35 ฿79.4

-12.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.3K

$0.97 ฿32.79

21.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

$1.60 ฿53.9

-4.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

$1.50 ฿50.6

-17.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

$1.28 ฿43.11

-1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 Rp 39.4K

$1.10 ฿37.18

97.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 Rp 14.3K

$0.71 ฿23.82

11.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,106

$0.49 ฿16.36

-20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.60 Rp 47.2K

$4.14 ฿140

-37.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.31 Rp 386.1K

$17.52 ฿591

21.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

$1.61 ฿54.5

13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 Rp 56.6K

$2.78 ฿93.9

12.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,809

$0.87 ฿29.30

-75.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.53 Rp 209.0K

$54.1 ฿1,825

-78.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 Rp 8,897

$1.16 ฿39.04

-57.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 Rp 6,626

$0.53 ฿17.80

-30.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 Rp 50.7K

$2.42 ฿81.7

15.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 Rp 10.2K

$1.45 ฿48.88

-60.69%

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

$22.9K Rp 415.3M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

8.85%

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

$29.7K Rp 538.7M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

10.34%

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

$57.9 Rp 1.0M

$62.2 ฿2,098

-6.85%

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

$3.75 Rp 67.9K

$12.17 ฿411

-69.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 Rp 335.6K

$20.12 ฿679

-7.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.47 Rp 334.6K

$37.31 ฿1,259

-50.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 Rp 134.6K

$3.77 ฿127

97.08%

Cinema Ticket

$2.73 Rp 49.5K

$6.49 ฿219

-57.94%

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

$98.6 Rp 1.8M

$736 ฿24.8K

-86.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,614 Rp 156.1M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-41.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.36 Rp 731.4K

$53.4 ฿1,801

-24.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.06 Rp 508.4K

$24.64 ฿831

13.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 Rp 1.4M

$91.5 ฿3,087

-18.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 Rp 1.3M

$71.9 ฿2,427

-2.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$228 Rp 4.1M

$482 ฿16.3K

-52.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 Rp 2.4M

$309 ฿10.4K

-58.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 Rp 9.3M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-48.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 Rp 6.7M

$633 ฿21.4K

-41.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,170 Rp 21.2M

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-50.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$752 Rp 13.6M

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-52.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$217 Rp 3.9M

$590 ฿19.9K

-63.29%

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 Mataram: 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

Mataram

$202 33.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 16.1% $33

Accommodation & Living

Mataram

$130 21.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 138% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Mataram

$96 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 13.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mataram

$80 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 17.8% $14

Eating Out

Mataram

$59 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 31.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mataram

$24 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 110% $26

Getting Around

Mataram

$15 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 318% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $228 in Mataram 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 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9 in Mataram versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $234 – making Mataram the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Mataram

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

1 h behind Mataram

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

402,843

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mataram Chiang Mai 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mataram
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 55% more than Mataram, 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 $908 per month in Mataram 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 Mataram, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $228 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $99 per month in Mataram 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 16% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $605 in Mataram and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mataram – 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 Mataram. 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.