Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Padang and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Padang: $636 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Padang
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Padang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Padang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$636

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $636 per month in Padang vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Padang $636
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $995 per month in Padang vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Padang $995
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,355 per month in Padang vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Padang $1,355
Chiang Mai $1,903

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

Both Padang and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Padang 53% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.63 Rp 29.4K

$2.29 ฿76.5

-28.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.34 Rp 222.1K

$19.64 ฿656

-37.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.63 Rp 65.3K

$5.61 ฿188

-35.29%

Cappuccino

$1.54 Rp 27.7K

$1.66 ฿55.6

-7.23%

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

$0.45 Rp 8,060

$0.70 ฿23.40

-35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 Rp 4,886

$0.31 ฿10.24

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 Rp 45.2K

$2.41 ฿80.4

4.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 Rp 65.1K

$3.71 ฿124

-2.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

$1.95 ฿65.3

-42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 Rp 17.7K

$1.41 ฿47.03

-30.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 Rp 16.9K

$1.31 ฿43.62

-28.24%

Eggs

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$2.18 ฿72.9

-35.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 Rp 133.7K

$16.65 ฿556

-55.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.85 Rp 51.4K

$2.76 ฿92.2

3.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 Rp 130.6K

$9.11 ฿304

-20.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$2.39 ฿80.0

-4.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 Rp 23.9K

$1.03 ฿34.26

29.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

$1.63 ฿54.4

12.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 Rp 19.1K

$1.50 ฿50.0

-29.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

$1.29 ฿43.13

-12.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 Rp 39.1K

$1.11 ฿37.03

95.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

$0.72 ฿24.08

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,140

$0.53 ฿17.59

-24.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$4.31 ฿144

-37.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.39 Rp 367.0K

$17.95 ฿600

13.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 Rp 31.2K

$1.58 ฿52.9

9.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 Rp 55.3K

$2.84 ฿95.0

8.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 Rp 4,748

$0.86 ฿28.86

-69.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,401

$1.21 ฿40.29

-61.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 Rp 6,568

$0.57 ฿18.99

-36.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 Rp 44.8K

$2.35 ฿78.6

5.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$1.44 ฿47.96

-49.31%

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

$24.4K Rp 439.9M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

17.90%

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

$29.4K Rp 529.1M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

9.68%

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

$72.6 Rp 1.3M

$62.3 ฿2,083

16.49%

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

$4.84 Rp 87.1K

$12.11 ฿405

-60.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.04 Rp 378.6K

$19.94 ฿666

5.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.81 Rp 356.6K

$37.07 ฿1,239

-46.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.79 Rp 140.2K

$3.78 ฿126

106.08%

Cinema Ticket

$2.59 Rp 46.6K

$6.50 ฿217

-60.15%

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

$102 Rp 1.8M

$793 ฿26.5K

-87.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,060 Rp 127.1M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-52.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.15 Rp 776.8K

$53.7 ฿1,796

-19.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.84 Rp 573.1K

$24.62 ฿823

29.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.6 Rp 1.1M

$90.9 ฿3,036

-29.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 Rp 1.3M

$71.1 ฿2,378

0.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$228 Rp 4.1M

$455 ฿15.2K

-49.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 Rp 2.8M

$298 ฿9,954

-47.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$551 Rp 9.9M

$908 ฿30.4K

-39.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 Rp 6.7M

$554 ฿18.5K

-33.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,294 Rp 23.3M

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-32.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$810 Rp 14.6M

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-43.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$169 Rp 3.0M

$591 ฿19.7K

-71.47%

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 Padang: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Padang

$192 30.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 22.7% $44

Accommodation & Living

Padang

$157 24.7%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 89.3% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Padang

$98 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 4.2% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Padang

$95 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 14.2% $13

Eating Out

Padang

$65 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 20.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Padang

$25 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 100% $25

Getting Around

Padang

$3.4 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1714% $57

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $228 in Padang versus $455 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 run about 251% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Padang versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $235 – making Padang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Padang

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

Same time as Padang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,096

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Padang Chiang Mai 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Padang
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Padang, 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 $954 per month in Padang and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Padang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Padang and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% 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.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Padang, where all-in costs run around $636, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Padang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Padang costs $636 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Padang. 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.