Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bintulu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $847 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$847

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $847 in Bintulu versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Bintulu $847
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,320 in Bintulu versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Bintulu $1,320
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,793 in Bintulu versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Bintulu $1,793
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Bintulu costs roughly 10% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bintulu 37% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.81 MYR 15.53

$2.26 ฿75.4

68.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.38 MYR 75.0

$19.18 ฿641

-4.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 MYR 23.67

$5.59 ฿187

3.76%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.67

$1.72 ฿57.6

66.28%

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

$0.64 MYR 2.62

$0.64 ฿21.54

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.65

$0.33 ฿11.18

24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 MYR 12.08

$2.36 ฿78.7

25.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 MYR 21.26

$3.90 ฿130

33.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 MYR 8.48

$2.05 ฿68.6

1.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 MYR 5.52

$1.40 ฿46.70

-3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.56

$1.28 ฿42.89

6.25%

Eggs

$2.29 MYR 9.33

$2.25 ฿75.3

1.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.15 MYR 70.0

$16.94 ฿566

1.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 MYR 14.25

$2.74 ฿91.6

27.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.89 MYR 24.01

$9.36 ฿313

-37.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$2.40 ฿80.3

-30.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 MYR 3.93

$1.01 ฿33.92

-4.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$1.61 ฿53.9

3.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 MYR 4.53

$1.52 ฿50.7

-26.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 MYR 2.27

$1.28 ฿42.90

-56.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.11 ฿37.22

7.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$0.72 ฿24.09

-1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.70

$0.52 ฿17.54

-19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 17.45

$4.33 ฿145

-1.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.32 MYR 78.8

$17.73 ฿593

8.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.25

$1.63 ฿54.4

84.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 MYR 8.20

$2.85 ฿95.3

-29.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 MYR 5.12

$0.85 ฿28.31

48.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.40 MYR 66.9

$53.9 ฿1,801

-69.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 MYR 3.80

$1.17 ฿39.18

-20.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 MYR 3.36

$0.57 ฿19.00

43.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 MYR 10.11

$2.37 ฿79.2

4.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 MYR 2.51

$1.45 ฿48.32

-57.24%

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

$44.4K MYR 181.3K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

117.01%

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

$39.9K MYR 162.7K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

50.47%

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

$59.5 MYR 243

$62.3 ฿2,083

-4.48%

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

$32.31 MYR 132

$12.27 ฿410

163.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.15 MYR 123

$19.97 ฿668

50.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 MYR 279

$37.91 ฿1,267

80.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.33 MYR 50.3

$3.76 ฿126

227.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 MYR 17.74

$6.71 ฿224

-35.17%

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

$128 MYR 524

$797 ฿26.6K

-83.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,275 MYR 29.7K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-50.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 MYR 263

$53.3 ฿1,780

21.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.91 MYR 142

$25.05 ฿837

39.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 MYR 322

$91.6 ฿3,062

-13.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 MYR 376

$73.5 ฿2,455

25.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 MYR 882

$464 ฿15.5K

-53.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 MYR 639

$305 ฿10.2K

-48.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 MYR 1,939

$915 ฿30.6K

-48.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 MYR 1,356

$552 ฿18.5K

-39.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,716 MYR 7,000

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-10.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,135 MYR 4,632

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-21.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$606 MYR 2,473

$595 ฿19.9K

1.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.57

-19.21%

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

Last update for Bintulu: 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

Bintulu

$231 27.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 2.8% $6.5

Accommodation & Living

Bintulu

$157 18.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 94.5% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bintulu

$122 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 22.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Bintulu

$122 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 10% $12

Eating Out

Bintulu

$112 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 29.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Bintulu

$77 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 33.3% $26

Getting Around

Bintulu

$26 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 132% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $216 in Bintulu and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bintulu pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $18.00 in Bintulu vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $238 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

1 h behind Bintulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

240,172

127,240

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bintulu Chiang Mai 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bintulu
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

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

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Bintulu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $216 in Bintulu versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $847 per month in Bintulu versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bintulu runs roughly 229% less than in Chiang Mai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $847 in Bintulu versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bintulu but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Bintulu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bintulu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $847 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bintulu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bintulu and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bintulu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.