Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bukit Mertajam and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $621 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
Learn more

Bukit Mertajam Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$621

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $621 in Bukit Mertajam versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Bukit Mertajam $621
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $976 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Bukit Mertajam $976
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,331 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Bukit Mertajam $1,331
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Bukit Mertajam costs roughly 34% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bukit Mertajam 54% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 MYR 7.79

$2.24 ฿75.6

-14.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.97 MYR 85.4

$19.00 ฿641

10.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.98 MYR 16.21

$5.55 ฿187

-28.29%

Cappuccino

$3.14 MYR 12.77

$1.67 ฿56.5

88.02%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.82

$0.64 ฿21.53

7.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.85

$0.31 ฿10.30

45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 MYR 18.35

$2.36 ฿79.5

91.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 MYR 25.48

$3.66 ฿124

71.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 6.76

$1.95 ฿65.7

-14.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.56

$1.44 ฿48.45

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MYR 7.94

$1.33 ฿45.01

46.62%

Eggs

$2.55 MYR 10.37

$2.28 ฿77.0

11.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.83 MYR 56.3

$16.45 ฿555

-15.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 MYR 17.96

$2.78 ฿93.8

58.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.98 MYR 40.64

$9.31 ฿314

7.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 MYR 13.79

$2.35 ฿79.4

44.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.16

$0.97 ฿32.78

81.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 MYR 9.21

$1.60 ฿53.9

41.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 MYR 6.31

$1.50 ฿50.6

3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.15

$1.28 ฿43.10

-0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.60

$1.10 ฿37.17

25.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.55

$0.71 ฿23.81

57.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.72

$0.49 ฿16.36

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MYR 18.11

$4.14 ฿140

7.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.54 MYR 79.5

$17.52 ฿591

11.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 MYR 13.91

$1.61 ฿54.5

112.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 MYR 20.70

$2.78 ฿93.9

82.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.03

$1.16 ฿39.03

6.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$0.53 ฿17.79

124.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 MYR 20.16

$2.42 ฿81.7

104.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.31

$1.45 ฿48.87

-44.14%

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

$43.9K MYR 178.5K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

108.27%

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

$35.5K MYR 144.5K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

31.80%

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

$63.1 MYR 257

$62.2 ฿2,097

1.46%

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

$8.54 MYR 34.76

$12.17 ฿410

-29.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.67 MYR 109

$20.12 ฿679

32.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.36

$6.49 ฿219

-22.96%

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

$249 MYR 1,013

$736 ฿24.8K

-66.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K MYR 53.5K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-11.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 MYR 287

$53.4 ฿1,800

32.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MYR 168

$24.64 ฿831

67.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 MYR 353

$91.5 ฿3,086

-5.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 MYR 387

$71.9 ฿2,426

32.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$572 MYR 2,330

$590 ฿19.9K

-2.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

5.57

-25.13%

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

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: 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

Bukit Mertajam

$269 43.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Bukit Mertajam

$132 21.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 17.8% $23

Eating Out

Bukit Mertajam

$105 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 25.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bukit Mertajam

$98 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 3.9% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 402% $40

Getting Around

Bukit Mertajam

$7.2 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 751% $54

Accommodation & Living

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

Chiang Mai pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $21 in Bukit Mertajam vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:51 12:51 AM

23:51 11:51 PM

1 h behind Bukit Mertajam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

212,329

127,240

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bukit Mertajam Chiang Mai 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bukit Mertajam
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

Bukit Mertajam vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $621 in Bukit Mertajam and $936 in Chiang Mai, so Bukit Mertajam is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Bukit Mertajam. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Chiang Mai pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $621 per month in Bukit Mertajam versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Bukit Mertajam is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bukit Mertajam gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bukit Mertajam and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bukit Mertajam wins on affordability, Chiang Mai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.