Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pekanbaru and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Pekanbaru: $628 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Pekanbaru
Learn more

Pekanbaru Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Pekanbaru

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$628

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $628 per month in Pekanbaru vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pekanbaru $628
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $983 per month in Pekanbaru vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pekanbaru $983
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,339 per month in Pekanbaru vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pekanbaru $1,339
Chiang Mai $1,914

Pekanbaru is about 33% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pekanbaru and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Pekanbaru 53% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.43 Rp 25.8K

$2.26 ฿75.4

-36.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.20 Rp 147.6K

$19.18 ฿641

-57.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

$5.59 ฿187

-56.89%

Cappuccino

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

$1.72 ฿57.6

-24.42%

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

$0.58 Rp 10.4K

$0.64 ฿21.54

-9.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 Rp 5,954

$0.33 ฿11.18

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

$2.36 ฿78.7

-12.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

$3.90 ฿130

-11.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

$2.05 ฿68.6

-36.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

$1.40 ฿46.70

-17.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$1.28 ฿42.89

-30.47%

Eggs

$1.68 Rp 30.3K

$2.25 ฿75.3

-25.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 Rp 131.3K

$16.94 ฿566

-56.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.37 Rp 42.7K

$2.74 ฿91.6

-13.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.49 Rp 116.9K

$9.36 ฿313

-30.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 Rp 48.5K

$2.40 ฿80.3

12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

$1.01 ฿33.92

68.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

$1.61 ฿53.9

49.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$1.52 ฿50.7

-16.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

$1.28 ฿42.90

-3.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.11 ฿37.22

72.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

$0.72 ฿24.09

4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 Rp 6,350

$0.52 ฿17.54

-32.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

$4.33 ฿145

-50.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.45 Rp 386.0K

$17.73 ฿593

20.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.63 ฿54.4

17.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 Rp 54.2K

$2.85 ฿95.3

5.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,230

$0.85 ฿28.31

-65.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.44 Rp 152.0K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-84.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

$1.17 ฿39.18

-21.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 Rp 7,154

$0.57 ฿19.00

-29.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 Rp 48.2K

$2.37 ฿79.2

13.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 Rp 13.6K

$1.45 ฿48.32

-47.59%

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

$23.3K Rp 418.9M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

13.66%

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

$26.0K Rp 468.5M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-1.82%

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

$62.1 Rp 1.1M

$62.3 ฿2,083

-0.40%

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

$5.99 Rp 107.9K

$12.27 ฿410

-51.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.78 Rp 428.1K

$19.97 ฿668

19.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.34 Rp 510.2K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-25.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.31 Rp 149.7K

$3.76 ฿126

121.01%

Cinema Ticket

$3.03 Rp 54.6K

$6.71 ฿224

-54.84%

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

$96.0 Rp 1.7M

$797 ฿26.6K

-87.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,773 Rp 139.9M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-47.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.96 Rp 575.3K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-39.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 Rp 511.6K

$25.05 ฿837

13.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.8 Rp 985.5K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-40.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

$73.5 ฿2,455

9.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$262 Rp 4.7M

$464 ฿15.5K

-43.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 Rp 2.6M

$305 ฿10.2K

-52.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 Rp 9.7M

$915 ฿30.6K

-40.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 Rp 6.4M

$552 ฿18.5K

-35.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,070 Rp 19.3M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-44.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$807 Rp 14.5M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-43.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$176 Rp 3.2M

$595 ฿19.9K

-70.43%

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 Pekanbaru: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pekanbaru

$201 32%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 18.5% $37

Accommodation & Living

Pekanbaru

$145 23.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 110% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pekanbaru

$92 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 3% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Pekanbaru

$88 14%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 24.2% $21

Eating Out

Pekanbaru

$55 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 43.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Pekanbaru

$34 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 49.2% $17

Getting Around

Pekanbaru

$13 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 390% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $262 in Pekanbaru versus $464 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 238% 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 $8.00 in Pekanbaru versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $238 – making Pekanbaru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Pekanbaru

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

Same time as Pekanbaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,020,308

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 19, 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 19, 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

Pekanbaru Chiang Mai 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Pekanbaru
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than Pekanbaru, 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 $942 per month in Pekanbaru and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $96.0 per month in Pekanbaru and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pekanbaru, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Pekanbaru 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. Pekanbaru costs $628 versus $938 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 Pekanbaru. 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.