Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tanjung Pinang and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanjung Pinang: $622 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Tanjung Pinang
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$622
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $622 per month in Tanjung Pinang vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Tanjung Pinang $622
  • Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $984 per month in Tanjung Pinang vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Tanjung Pinang $984
  • Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,346 per month in Tanjung Pinang vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Tanjung Pinang $1,346
  • Chiang Mai $1,999

Tanjung Pinang is about 34% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tanjung Pinang and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Tanjung Pinang 54% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tanjung Pinang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.30 Rp 59.9K
$2.13 ฿71.9
54.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.72 Rp 267.3K
$18.62 ฿628
-20.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.29 Rp 59.7K
$5.60 ฿189
-41.25%
Cappuccino
$1.50 Rp 27.3K
$1.66 ฿56.0
-9.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 Rp 8,346
$0.65 ฿21.80
-29.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.22 Rp 3,983
$0.30 ฿10.28
-26.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.88 Rp 34.2K
$2.32 ฿78.3
-18.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 Rp 55.1K
$3.67 ฿124
-17.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tanjung Pinang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
$2.02 ฿67.9
-45.05%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 Rp 19.1K
$1.41 ฿47.45
-25.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.77 Rp 14.1K
$1.39 ฿46.90
-44.60%
Eggs
$1.45 Rp 26.3K
$2.37 ฿79.8
-38.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.23 Rp 113.1K
$16.52 ฿557
-62.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.84 Rp 51.6K
$2.67 ฿90.0
6.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.87 Rp 124.8K
$9.02 ฿304
-23.84%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 Rp 44.4K
$2.40 ฿80.8
2.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 Rp 25.0K
$1.04 ฿35.09
32.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.43 Rp 25.9K
$1.66 ฿55.9
-13.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.39 Rp 25.2K
$1.56 ฿52.5
-10.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.10 Rp 19.9K
$1.24 ฿41.71
-11.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.6K
$1.09 ฿36.62
69.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.92 Rp 16.6K
$0.76 ฿25.67
21.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.42 Rp 7,615
$0.51 ฿17.33
-17.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.59 Rp 47.0K
$4.12 ฿139
-37.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.36 Rp 388.0K
$17.93 ฿604
19.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 Rp 29.9K
$1.62 ฿54.7
1.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 Rp 52.2K
$2.82 ฿95.1
2.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Tanjung Pinang
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 Rp 4,849
$0.93 ฿31.49
-70.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.89 Rp 215.9K
$52.9 ฿1,782
-77.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.52 Rp 9,504
$1.18 ฿39.65
-55.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 Rp 5,785
$0.17 ฿5.78
88.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.19 Rp 57.9K
$1.81 ฿61.1
76.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.65 Rp 11.8K
$1.47 ฿49.63
-55.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.1K Rp 400.6M
$21.0K ฿708.1K
4.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.8K Rp 650.2M
$26.5K ฿893.6K
35.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tanjung Pinang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$67.5 Rp 1.2M
$62.6 ฿2,108
7.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.51 Rp 81.9K
$11.60 ฿391
-61.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.62 Rp 338.1K
$20.30 ฿684
-8.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tanjung Pinang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.88 Rp 306.6K
$37.88 ฿1,277
-55.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.94 Rp 162.3K
$3.70 ฿125
141.62%
Cinema Ticket
$2.83 Rp 51.3K
$6.51 ฿219
-56.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tanjung Pinang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$79.8 Rp 1.4M
$727 ฿24.5K
-89.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K Rp 218.4M
$16.6K ฿558.5K
-27.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tanjung Pinang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.74 Rp 830.6K
$53.5 ฿1,804
-14.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.73 Rp 540.0K
$24.80 ฿836
19.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.2 Rp 1.2M
$90.4 ฿3,046
-28.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.2 Rp 1.4M
$72.0 ฿2,425
7.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tanjung Pinang
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$236 Rp 4.3M
$481 ฿16.2K
-50.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$134 Rp 2.4M
$310 ฿10.4K
-56.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$607 Rp 11.0M
$1,058 ฿35.7K
-42.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$319 Rp 5.8M
$659 ฿22.2K
-51.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,290 Rp 23.4M
$2,418 ฿81.5K
-46.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$710 Rp 12.9M
$1,609 ฿54.2K
-55.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tanjung Pinang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$193 Rp 3.5M
$595 ฿20.0K
-67.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.45
5.57
69.66%

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

Last update for Tanjung Pinang: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Tanjung Pinang
$189
Chiang Mai
$237 24.9% $47
Accommodation & Living
Tanjung Pinang
$134
Chiang Mai
$310 131% $176
Clothing & Footwear
Tanjung Pinang
$98
Chiang Mai
$108 11% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tanjung Pinang
$91
Chiang Mai
$94 4.2% $3.8
Eating Out
Tanjung Pinang
$72
Chiang Mai
$77 5.7% $4.1
Sport & Entertainment
Tanjung Pinang
$23
Chiang Mai
$51 126% $28
Getting Around
Tanjung Pinang
$15
Chiang Mai
$59 289% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $236 in Tanjung Pinang versus $481 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 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15 in Tanjung Pinang versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $237 – making Tanjung Pinang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Tanjung Pinang
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
20:18 8:18 PM
20:18 8:18 PM
Same time as Tanjung Pinang
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
239,854
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tanjung Pinang Chiang Mai 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tanjung Pinang
  • 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 Pinang vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Tanjung Pinang or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 50% more than Tanjung Pinang, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Tanjung Pinang and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $933 per month in Tanjung Pinang and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Tanjung Pinang or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tanjung Pinang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $236 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Tanjung Pinang and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $80 per month in Tanjung Pinang and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Tanjung Pinang or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 25% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Tanjung Pinang or in Chiang Mai?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Tanjung Pinang, where all-in costs run around $622, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Tanjung Pinang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Tanjung Pinang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Tanjung Pinang or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Tanjung Pinang. 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.

Tanjung Pinang vs other spots: cost of living compared

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