Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palembang and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Palembang: $612 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Palembang
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Palembang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Palembang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$612

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $612 per month in Palembang vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Palembang $612
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $961 per month in Palembang vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Palembang $961
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,310 per month in Palembang vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Palembang $1,310
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.07 Rp 19.5K

$2.13 ฿71.9

-49.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.64 Rp 284.1K

$18.62 ฿628

-16.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.80 Rp 50.9K

$5.60 ฿189

-50.00%

Cappuccino

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

$1.66 ฿56.0

-25.30%

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

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

$0.65 ฿21.80

23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 Rp 4,364

$0.30 ฿10.28

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

$2.32 ฿78.3

-27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 Rp 59.4K

$3.67 ฿124

-10.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 Rp 19.3K

$2.02 ฿67.9

-47.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

$1.41 ฿47.45

-23.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

$1.39 ฿46.90

-41.73%

Eggs

$1.21 Rp 22.0K

$2.37 ฿79.8

-48.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 Rp 131.0K

$16.52 ฿557

-56.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.88 Rp 52.3K

$2.67 ฿90.0

7.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.33 Rp 133.1K

$9.02 ฿304

-18.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 Rp 39.1K

$2.40 ฿80.8

-10.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

$1.04 ฿35.09

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 Rp 28.7K

$1.66 ฿55.9

-4.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.5K

$1.56 ฿52.5

-23.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

$1.24 ฿41.71

1.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.6K

$1.09 ฿36.62

75.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

$0.76 ฿25.67

3.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,227

$0.51 ฿17.33

-21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

$4.12 ฿139

-47.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.64 Rp 374.9K

$17.93 ฿604

15.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 Rp 32.8K

$1.62 ฿54.7

11.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 Rp 54.3K

$2.82 ฿95.1

6.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 Rp 7,248

$0.93 ฿31.49

-56.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.46 Rp 208.2K

$52.9 ฿1,782

-78.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.53 Rp 9,692

$1.18 ฿39.65

-55.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 Rp 5,762

$0.17 ฿5.78

88.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 Rp 51.1K

$1.81 ฿61.1

55.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

$1.47 ฿49.63

-41.50%

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

$22.8K Rp 413.3M

$21.0K ฿708.1K

8.31%

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

$32.4K Rp 587.9M

$26.5K ฿893.6K

22.08%

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

$63.4 Rp 1.2M

$62.6 ฿2,108

1.39%

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

$4.33 Rp 78.6K

$11.60 ฿391

-62.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.77 Rp 340.9K

$20.30 ฿684

-7.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.37 Rp 333.6K

$37.88 ฿1,277

-51.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.15 Rp 148.0K

$3.70 ฿125

120.27%

Cinema Ticket

$2.83 Rp 51.4K

$6.51 ฿219

-56.53%

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

$94.4 Rp 1.7M

$727 ฿24.5K

-87.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,086 Rp 146.9M

$16.6K ฿558.5K

-51.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.62 Rp 792.1K

$53.5 ฿1,804

-18.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.51 Rp 517.7K

$24.80 ฿836

14.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 Rp 1.4M

$90.4 ฿3,046

-16.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 Rp 1.3M

$72.0 ฿2,425

-3.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 Rp 4.1M

$481 ฿16.2K

-53.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$310 ฿10.4K

-52.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 Rp 10.2M

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-47.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 Rp 6.6M

$659 ฿22.2K

-44.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,145 Rp 20.8M

$2,418 ฿81.5K

-52.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$778 Rp 14.1M

$1,609 ฿54.2K

-51.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$307 Rp 5.6M

$595 ฿20.0K

-48.39%

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 Palembang: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palembang

$190 31.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 24.4% $46

Accommodation & Living

Palembang

$148 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 110% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Palembang

$97 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 11.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palembang

$87 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 9.2% $7.9

Eating Out

Palembang

$51 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 50% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Palembang

$24 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 112% $27

Getting Around

Palembang

$15 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 286% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $225 in Palembang 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 run about 97% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Palembang versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $234 – making Palembang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Palembang

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:24 6:24 PM

Same time as Palembang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,708,413

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 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 = 20,333 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Palembang Chiang Mai 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Palembang
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 53% more than Palembang, 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 $919 per month in Palembang 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 Palembang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $225 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $100 per month in Palembang 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 23% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Palembang – 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 Palembang. 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.