Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palangkaraya and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Palangkaraya: $618 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Palangkaraya
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Palangkaraya Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Palangkaraya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$618

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $618 per month in Palangkaraya vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Palangkaraya $618
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,012 per month in Palangkaraya vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Palangkaraya $1,012
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,406 per month in Palangkaraya vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Palangkaraya $1,406
Chiang Mai $1,979

Palangkaraya is about 34% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Palangkaraya and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Palangkaraya 55% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

$2.24 ฿75.7

-37.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.87 Rp 252.2K

$19.00 ฿642

-27.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.59 Rp 65.3K

$5.55 ฿188

-35.32%

Cappuccino

$1.55 Rp 28.1K

$1.67 ฿56.6

-7.19%

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

$0.46 Rp 8,363

$0.64 ฿21.56

-28.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 Rp 4,088

$0.31 ฿10.32

-29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 Rp 38.9K

$2.36 ฿79.6

-9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 Rp 63.0K

$3.66 ฿124

-5.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 Rp 21.5K

$1.95 ฿65.8

-39.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 Rp 19.8K

$1.44 ฿48.51

-24.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 Rp 15.5K

$1.33 ฿45.07

-36.09%

Eggs

$1.45 Rp 26.3K

$2.28 ฿77.1

-36.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.07 Rp 128.4K

$16.45 ฿556

-57.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.13 Rp 38.6K

$2.78 ฿94.0

-23.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.56 Rp 119.3K

$9.31 ฿314

-29.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 Rp 38.9K

$2.35 ฿79.5

-8.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 Rp 30.0K

$0.97 ฿32.82

70.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

$1.60 ฿53.9

-3.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.50 ฿50.7

-34.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.7K

$1.28 ฿43.15

-6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 Rp 35.9K

$1.10 ฿37.22

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

$0.71 ฿23.84

22.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 Rp 7,433

$0.49 ฿16.38

-16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.57 Rp 46.6K

$4.14 ฿140

-37.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.47 Rp 426.7K

$17.52 ฿592

33.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

$1.61 ฿54.5

19.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 Rp 55.7K

$2.78 ฿94.0

10.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,761

$0.87 ฿29.33

-75.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.19 Rp 239.8K

$54.1 ฿1,827

-75.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 Rp 10.6K

$1.16 ฿39.08

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 Rp 6,134

$0.53 ฿17.82

-35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 Rp 50.4K

$2.42 ฿81.8

14.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 Rp 11.5K

$1.45 ฿48.93

-56.55%

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

$20.4K Rp 370.6M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-3.17%

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

$32.3K Rp 588.0M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

20.08%

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

$69.4 Rp 1.3M

$62.2 ฿2,100

11.68%

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

$4.19 Rp 76.1K

$12.17 ฿411

-65.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.78 Rp 341.2K

$20.12 ฿680

-6.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$5.49 Rp 99.8K

$37.31 ฿1,260

-85.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.37 Rp 170.4K

$3.77 ฿127

148.54%

Cinema Ticket

$2.79 Rp 50.7K

$6.49 ฿219

-57.01%

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

$105 Rp 1.9M

$736 ฿24.9K

-85.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,652 Rp 139.1M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-48.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.45 Rp 844.2K

$53.4 ฿1,802

-12.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.61 Rp 538.1K

$24.64 ฿832

20.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 Rp 1.3M

$91.5 ฿3,089

-23.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 Rp 1.5M

$71.9 ฿2,429

11.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$217 Rp 3.9M

$482 ฿16.3K

-55.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$142 Rp 2.6M

$309 ฿10.4K

-54.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 Rp 9.0M

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-50.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 Rp 7.6M

$633 ฿21.4K

-34.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,081 Rp 19.6M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-54.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$859 Rp 15.6M

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-45.91%

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 Palangkaraya: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palangkaraya

$194 31.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 21% $41

Accommodation & Living

Palangkaraya

$142 23%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 118% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Palangkaraya

$102 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 6.8% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palangkaraya

$92 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 2.2% $2.1

Eating Out

Palangkaraya

$61 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 27.2% $17

Getting Around

Palangkaraya

$16 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 277% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Palangkaraya

$11 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 354% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $217 in Palangkaraya 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 $14 in Palangkaraya versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $234 – making Palangkaraya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Palangkaraya

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

Same time as Palangkaraya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

220,962

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Palangkaraya Chiang Mai 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Palangkaraya
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 51% more than Palangkaraya, 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 $927 per month in Palangkaraya 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 Palangkaraya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $217 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $105 per month in Palangkaraya 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 21% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Palangkaraya, where all-in costs run around $618, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Palangkaraya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Palangkaraya is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 34% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.