Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Purwokerto and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Purwokerto: $497 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Purwokerto
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Purwokerto Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Purwokerto

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$497

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $497 per month in Purwokerto vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Purwokerto $497
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $824 per month in Purwokerto vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Purwokerto $824
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,151 per month in Purwokerto vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Purwokerto $1,151
Chiang Mai $1,979

Purwokerto is about 47% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Purwokerto and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Purwokerto 64% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.23 Rp 22.2K

$2.24 ฿75.6

-45.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.31 Rp 150.7K

$19.00 ฿641

-56.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.23 Rp 58.6K

$5.55 ฿187

-41.80%

Cappuccino

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$1.67 ฿56.5

-19.76%

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

$0.41 Rp 7,357

$0.64 ฿21.55

-35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 Rp 3,263

$0.31 ฿10.31

-41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 Rp 39.8K

$2.36 ฿79.6

-6.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 Rp 54.6K

$3.66 ฿124

-17.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 Rp 19.4K

$1.95 ฿65.8

-45.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 Rp 14.3K

$1.44 ฿48.48

-45.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

$1.33 ฿45.04

-39.10%

Eggs

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

$2.28 ฿77.1

-35.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.02 Rp 127.3K

$16.45 ฿555

-57.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

$2.78 ฿93.9

1.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.04 Rp 127.7K

$9.31 ฿314

-24.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 Rp 40.2K

$2.35 ฿79.4

-5.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

$0.97 ฿32.80

12.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.4K

$1.60 ฿53.9

-5.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.87 Rp 15.9K

$1.50 ฿50.6

-42.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 Rp 19.4K

$1.28 ฿43.12

-16.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.5K

$1.10 ฿37.19

72.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 Rp 11.8K

$0.71 ฿23.82

-8.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 Rp 6,195

$0.49 ฿16.37

-30.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 Rp 42.9K

$4.14 ฿140

-43.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.23 Rp 385.0K

$17.52 ฿591

21.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 Rp 32.9K

$1.61 ฿54.5

12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 Rp 57.1K

$2.78 ฿94.0

13.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 Rp 3,621

$0.87 ฿29.31

-77.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.72 Rp 212.5K

$54.1 ฿1,826

-78.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 Rp 9,378

$1.16 ฿39.06

-55.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 Rp 6,210

$0.53 ฿17.80

-35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 Rp 42.1K

$2.42 ฿81.8

-4.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$1.45 ฿48.90

-38.62%

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

$20.9K Rp 378.5M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

-0.91%

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

$32.2K Rp 584.6M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

19.64%

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

$33.11 Rp 600.6K

$62.2 ฿2,098

-46.74%

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

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$12.17 ฿411

-77.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.01 Rp 344.7K

$20.12 ฿679

-5.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.64 Rp 356.2K

$37.31 ฿1,259

-47.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.88 Rp 197.3K

$3.77 ฿127

188.59%

Cinema Ticket

$2.53 Rp 45.9K

$6.49 ฿219

-61.02%

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

$92.9 Rp 1.7M

$736 ฿24.8K

-87.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,053 Rp 127.9M

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-52.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.47 Rp 697.8K

$53.4 ฿1,801

-27.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.86 Rp 559.8K

$24.64 ฿831

25.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 Rp 1.3M

$91.5 ฿3,087

-20.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.8 Rp 1.2M

$71.9 ฿2,428

-4.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$140 Rp 2.5M

$482 ฿16.3K

-70.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

$309 ฿10.4K

-77.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 Rp 10.6M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-41.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 Rp 4.5M

$633 ฿21.4K

-60.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,376 Rp 25.0M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-41.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$272 Rp 4.9M

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-82.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$117 Rp 2.1M

$590 ฿19.9K

-80.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.45

5.57

51.71%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Purwokerto: 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

Purwokerto

$184 37%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 27.7% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Purwokerto

$95 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 14.7% $14

Accommodation & Living

Purwokerto

$69 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 347% $240

Eating Out

Purwokerto

$55 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 41.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Purwokerto

$55 11%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 72.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Purwokerto

$25 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 104% $26

Getting Around

Purwokerto

$15 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 316% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $140 in Purwokerto 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 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Purwokerto versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $184 vs $234 – making Purwokerto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Purwokerto

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

Same time as Purwokerto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,782

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Purwokerto Chiang Mai 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Purwokerto
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Purwokerto, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $745 per month in Purwokerto 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 Purwokerto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $140 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $93 per month in Purwokerto 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 28% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Purwokerto. 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.