Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Alor Setar

For one person, living is cheaper in Alor Setar: $868 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
Learn more

Alor Setar Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Alor Setar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Alor Setar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $868 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Alor Setar $868

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,310 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Alor Setar $1,310

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,752 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Alor Setar $1,752

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Alor Setar are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Alor Setar 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.06 MYR 8.38

8.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$12.28 MYR 50.0

54.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.09 MYR 16.65

35.70%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.92 MYR 7.84

-13.02%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.54 MYR 2.18

18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.30 MYR 1.23

3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$4.10 MYR 16.71

-42.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.52 MYR 18.42

-19.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.61 MYR 6.56

21.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.85 MYR 3.47

69.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.75 MYR 7.11

-24.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.53 MYR 6.22

49.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$13.63 MYR 55.5

20.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.32 MYR 17.62

-35.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.47 MYR 34.51

9.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.07 MYR 12.50

-23.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-18.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.60 MYR 10.61

-38.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.47 MYR 5.98

2.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.06 MYR 4.32

20.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.08 MYR 4.38

1.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.09 MYR 4.45

-34.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.57 MYR 2.33

-14.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.45 MYR 18.13

-6.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$18.90 MYR 77.0

-7.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.98 MYR 12.15

-45.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.18 MYR 21.11

-46.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.70 MYR 2.84

24.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$12.69 MYR 51.7

326.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.73 MYR 7.03

-32.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.41 MYR 1.66

29.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.38 MYR 30.09

-67.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.49 MYR 1.99

195.92%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$45.3K MYR 184.5K

-53.49%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

-24.84%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$37.81 MYR 154

64.43%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$7.47 MYR 30.44

62.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$21.90 MYR 89.3

-8.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$37.64 MYR 153

-0.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.37 MYR 25.95

-40.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.83 MYR 19.68

34.37%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$396 MYR 1,615

85.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

37.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$59.6 MYR 243

-10.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$35.76 MYR 146

-31.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$81.7 MYR 333

11.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$68.9 MYR 281

4.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$421 MYR 1,713

14.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$294 MYR 1,197

5.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$653 MYR 2,660

54.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$532 MYR 2,167

19.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,256 MYR 9,193

4.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,157 MYR 4,712

37.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,600 MYR 6,519

-63.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.04

37.87%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Alor Setar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Alor Setar

$294 33.8% 4.9% $15

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Alor Setar

$245 28.3% 4.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Alor Setar

$111 12.8% 1.9% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Alor Setar

$67 7.7% 28.9% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Alor Setar

$85 9.8% 9.2% $7.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Alor Setar

$19 2.2% 68.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Alor Setar

$47 5.5% 5.9% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $421 in Alor Setar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alor Setar are about 2.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $12 in Alor Setar. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $245 in Alor Setar – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

423,868

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Alor Setar 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Alor Setar

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

Chiang Mai vs Alor Setar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Alor Setar, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,303 in Alor Setar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alor Setar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $421 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $396 in Alor Setar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $868 in Alor Setar. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.