Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tanjung Balai Karimun and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanjung Balai Karimun: $610 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Tanjung Balai Karimun
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Tanjung Balai Karimun Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tanjung Balai Karimun

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$610

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $610 per month in Tanjung Balai Karimun vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tanjung Balai Karimun $610
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,014 per month in Tanjung Balai Karimun vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tanjung Balai Karimun $1,014
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,417 per month in Tanjung Balai Karimun vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tanjung Balai Karimun $1,417
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.60 Rp 29.1K

$2.24 ฿75.6

-28.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.72 Rp 248.9K

$19.00 ฿641

-27.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.27 Rp 59.4K

$5.55 ฿187

-41.08%

Cappuccino

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$1.67 ฿56.5

-12.57%

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

$0.46 Rp 8,278

$0.64 ฿21.54

-28.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 Rp 4,375

$0.31 ฿10.31

-22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 Rp 39.2K

$2.36 ฿79.5

-8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 Rp 65.9K

$3.66 ฿124

-0.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

$1.95 ฿65.7

-47.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 Rp 19.8K

$1.44 ฿48.46

-24.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 Rp 13.3K

$1.33 ฿45.03

-45.11%

Eggs

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

$2.28 ฿77.1

-28.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 134.4K

$16.45 ฿555

-55.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.90 Rp 52.6K

$2.78 ฿93.9

4.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.49 Rp 154.0K

$9.31 ฿314

-8.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 Rp 42.7K

$2.35 ฿79.4

0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

$0.97 ฿32.79

23.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

$1.60 ฿53.9

-8.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

$1.50 ฿50.6

-14.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

$1.28 ฿43.11

-15.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

$1.10 ฿37.18

84.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

$0.71 ฿23.82

9.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 Rp 7,680

$0.49 ฿16.36

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 Rp 46.9K

$4.14 ฿140

-37.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.80 Rp 377.4K

$17.52 ฿591

18.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 Rp 32.0K

$1.61 ฿54.5

9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 Rp 60.2K

$2.78 ฿93.9

19.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 Rp 3,998

$0.87 ฿29.30

-74.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.92 Rp 180.1K

$54.1 ฿1,825

-81.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 Rp 8,942

$1.16 ฿39.04

-57.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 Rp 6,365

$0.53 ฿17.80

-33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 Rp 52.9K

$2.42 ฿81.7

20.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

$1.45 ฿48.88

-50.34%

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

$25.6K Rp 464.2M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

21.49%

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

$34.6K Rp 627.6M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

28.37%

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

$68.4 Rp 1.2M

$62.2 ฿2,098

9.99%

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

$4.25 Rp 77.2K

$12.17 ฿411

-65.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.80 Rp 377.4K

$20.12 ฿679

3.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.27 Rp 331.5K

$37.31 ฿1,259

-51.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.18 Rp 148.5K

$3.77 ฿127

116.98%

Cinema Ticket

$2.96 Rp 53.7K

$6.49 ฿219

-54.39%

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

$90.4 Rp 1.6M

$736 ฿24.8K

-87.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,256 Rp 131.7M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-50.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.89 Rp 850.8K

$53.4 ฿1,801

-12.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.72 Rp 575.5K

$24.64 ฿831

28.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.4 Rp 1.3M

$91.5 ฿3,087

-23.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 Rp 1.1M

$71.9 ฿2,427

-15.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$196 Rp 3.5M

$482 ฿16.3K

-59.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$128 Rp 2.3M

$309 ฿10.4K

-58.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 Rp 9.6M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-47.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 Rp 7.5M

$633 ฿21.4K

-35.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,280 Rp 23.2M

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-45.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$742 Rp 13.5M

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-53.28%

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 Tanjung Balai Karimun: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$197 32.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 19.2% $38

Accommodation & Living

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$128 20.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 142% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$94 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 15.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$93 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 1.1% $1

Eating Out

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$61 10%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 27.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$24 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 108% $26

Getting Around

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$13 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 370% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $196 in Tanjung Balai Karimun 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 Tanjung Balai Karimun versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $234 – making Tanjung Balai Karimun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Tanjung Balai Karimun

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:54 8:54 PM

Same time as Tanjung Balai Karimun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,953

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 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 October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,281 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tanjung Balai Karimun Chiang Mai 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tanjung Balai Karimun
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

Tanjung Balai Karimun vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 53% more than Tanjung Balai Karimun, 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 $915 per month in Tanjung Balai Karimun 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 Tanjung Balai Karimun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $196 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $90 per month in Tanjung Balai Karimun 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 19% 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.

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

For expats, Tanjung Balai Karimun is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 53% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.