Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yogyakarta and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Yogyakarta: $644 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Yogyakarta
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Yogyakarta Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Yogyakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$644

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $644 per month in Yogyakarta vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yogyakarta $644
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $892 per month in Yogyakarta vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yogyakarta $892
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,140 per month in Yogyakarta vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yogyakarta $1,140
Chiang Mai $1,914

Yogyakarta is about 31% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Yogyakarta and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Yogyakarta 52% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.09 Rp 19.6K

$2.26 ฿75.4

-51.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.62 Rp 245.1K

$19.18 ฿641

-28.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.32 Rp 59.8K

$5.59 ฿187

-40.61%

Cappuccino

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

$1.72 ฿57.6

-26.16%

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

$0.38 Rp 6,795

$0.64 ฿21.54

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 Rp 4,139

$0.33 ฿11.18

-30.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 Rp 46.3K

$2.36 ฿78.7

8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 Rp 66.7K

$3.90 ฿130

-4.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$2.05 ฿68.6

-42.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 Rp 19.6K

$1.40 ฿46.70

-22.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 Rp 13.9K

$1.28 ฿42.89

-39.84%

Eggs

$1.35 Rp 24.4K

$2.25 ฿75.3

-40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 Rp 97.6K

$16.94 ฿566

-68.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.90 Rp 52.2K

$2.74 ฿91.6

5.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.45 Rp 98.0K

$9.36 ฿313

-41.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 Rp 47.0K

$2.40 ฿80.3

8.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 21.9K

$1.01 ฿33.92

20.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 Rp 20.9K

$1.61 ฿53.9

-27.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$1.52 ฿50.7

-42.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Rp 18.3K

$1.28 ฿42.90

-20.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 35.9K

$1.11 ฿37.22

80.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 Rp 7,761

$0.72 ฿24.09

-40.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 Rp 8,321

$0.52 ฿17.54

-11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 Rp 50.7K

$4.33 ฿145

-35.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.61 Rp 371.0K

$17.73 ฿593

16.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 Rp 39.1K

$1.63 ฿54.4

33.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 Rp 66.9K

$2.85 ฿95.3

30.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 Rp 3,689

$0.85 ฿28.31

-76.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.65 Rp 155.8K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-83.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.44 Rp 25.9K

$1.17 ฿39.18

23.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 Rp 7,309

$0.57 ฿19.00

-28.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 Rp 79.4K

$2.37 ฿79.2

86.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$1.45 ฿48.32

-42.07%

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

$15.9K Rp 286.1M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-22.38%

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

$27.1K Rp 488.3M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

2.31%

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

$67.0 Rp 1.2M

$62.3 ฿2,083

7.41%

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

$4.71 Rp 84.8K

$12.27 ฿410

-61.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.54 Rp 369.7K

$19.97 ฿668

2.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.06 Rp 361.1K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-47.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.3K

$3.76 ฿126

123.67%

Cinema Ticket

$2.54 Rp 45.7K

$6.71 ฿224

-62.15%

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

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

$797 ฿26.6K

-89.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,076 Rp 73.4M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-72.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 Rp 952.9K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-0.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.60 Rp 586.9K

$25.05 ฿837

30.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.0 Rp 1.5M

$91.6 ฿3,062

-10.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 Rp 1.7M

$73.5 ฿2,455

25.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$210 Rp 3.8M

$464 ฿15.5K

-54.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 Rp 2.9M

$305 ฿10.2K

-47.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 Rp 10.6M

$915 ฿30.6K

-35.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$133 Rp 2.4M

$552 ฿18.5K

-75.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,691 Rp 30.4M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-11.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$219 Rp 3.9M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-84.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$220 Rp 4.0M

$595 ฿19.9K

-63.08%

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 Yogyakarta: 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

Yogyakarta

$182 28.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 31.1% $56

Accommodation & Living

Yogyakarta

$159 24.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 91.8% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Yogyakarta

$117 18.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 6.4% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yogyakarta

$92 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 2.6% $2.4

Eating Out

Yogyakarta

$57 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 39.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Yogyakarta

$25 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 104% $26

Getting Around

Yogyakarta

$13 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 374% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $210 in Yogyakarta 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 171% 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 $14.00 in Yogyakarta versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $238 – making Yogyakarta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Yogyakarta

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

Same time as Yogyakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

636,660

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

Yogyakarta Chiang Mai 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Yogyakarta
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Yogyakarta, 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 $966 per month in Yogyakarta 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 Yogyakarta, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $84.8 per month in Yogyakarta 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 31% 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 Yogyakarta, where all-in costs run around $644, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Yogyakarta 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. Yogyakarta costs $644 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 Yogyakarta. 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.