Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salatiga and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Salatiga: $456 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Salatiga
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Salatiga Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Salatiga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$456

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $456 per month in Salatiga vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Salatiga $456
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $675 per month in Salatiga vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Salatiga $675
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $893 per month in Salatiga vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Salatiga $893
Chiang Mai $1,914

Salatiga is about 51% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Salatiga and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Salatiga 66% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

$2.26 ฿75.4

-61.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.95 Rp 161.1K

$19.18 ฿641

-53.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$5.59 ฿187

-51.16%

Cappuccino

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

$1.72 ฿57.6

-16.86%

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

$0.30 Rp 5,485

$0.64 ฿21.54

-53.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 Rp 3,381

$0.33 ฿11.18

-42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$2.36 ฿78.7

-19.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 Rp 76.1K

$3.90 ฿130

8.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 Rp 21.8K

$2.05 ฿68.6

-40.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 Rp 24.0K

$1.40 ฿46.70

-5.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

$1.28 ฿42.89

-33.59%

Eggs

$1.20 Rp 21.6K

$2.25 ฿75.3

-46.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 Rp 138.6K

$16.94 ฿566

-54.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.09 Rp 55.7K

$2.74 ฿91.6

12.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.64 Rp 137.6K

$9.36 ฿313

-18.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 Rp 36.2K

$2.40 ฿80.3

-16.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$1.01 ฿33.92

25.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

$1.61 ฿53.9

13.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.2K

$1.52 ฿50.7

-0.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 Rp 23.6K

$1.28 ฿42.90

2.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.11 ฿37.22

72.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 Rp 6,213

$0.72 ฿24.09

-51.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 Rp 6,413

$0.52 ฿17.54

-30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

$4.33 ฿145

-54.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.70 Rp 444.6K

$17.73 ฿593

39.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 Rp 30.0K

$1.63 ฿54.4

2.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.5K

$2.85 ฿95.3

4.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,744

$0.85 ฿28.31

-75.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,900

$1.17 ฿39.18

-62.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,736

$0.57 ฿19.00

-24.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$2.37 ฿79.2

15.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.67 Rp 12.0K

$1.45 ฿48.32

-53.79%

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

$24.6K Rp 443.5M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

20.33%

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

$32.2K Rp 579.2M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

21.36%

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

$87.8 Rp 1.6M

$62.3 ฿2,083

40.78%

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

$4.59 Rp 82.7K

$12.27 ฿410

-62.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.52 Rp 351.3K

$19.97 ฿668

-2.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.25 Rp 202.4K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-70.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$2.00 Rp 36.0K

$6.71 ฿224

-70.19%

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

$283 Rp 5.1M

$797 ฿26.6K

-64.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,389 Rp 169.0M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-36.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.60 Rp 406.8K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-57.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.36 Rp 204.4K

$25.05 ฿837

-54.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.96 Rp 809.2K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-50.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 Rp 1.3M

$73.5 ฿2,455

-0.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$464 ฿15.5K

-64.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$595 ฿19.9K

-75.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

5.57

34.65%

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

Last update for Salatiga: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Salatiga

$205 44.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 16.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salatiga

$112 24.5%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 15.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Salatiga

$69 15%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 59.9% $41

Eating Out

Salatiga

$52 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 51.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Salatiga

$15 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 237% $36

Getting Around

Salatiga

$3.4 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 1693% $58

Accommodation & Living

Salatiga

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $165 in Salatiga 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 301% 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 $9.00 in Salatiga versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $238 – making Salatiga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Salatiga

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

Same time as Salatiga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,000

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 18, 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 18, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Salatiga Chiang Mai 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Salatiga
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 106% more than Salatiga, 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 $684 per month in Salatiga 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 Salatiga, 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 $9.00 in Salatiga and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% 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 Salatiga, where all-in costs run around $456, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Salatiga 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. Salatiga costs $456 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 Salatiga. 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.