Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bintulu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
Learn more

Bintulu Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Bintulu

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 Bintulu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $852 in Bintulu.

Chiang Mai $935
Bintulu $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $1,331 in Bintulu.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Bintulu $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $1,810 in Bintulu.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Bintulu $1,810

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bintulu 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$4.02 MYR 16.39

-47.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$18.75 MYR 76.4

-0.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$5.74 MYR 23.38

-2.44%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.89 MYR 11.80

-42.56%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$0.68 MYR 2.78

-4.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.38 MYR 1.53

-21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$2.99 MYR 12.17

-22.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$5.19 MYR 21.16

-29.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$2.10 MYR 8.57

-3.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.43 MYR 5.82

-1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$1.32 MYR 5.39

5.30%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.21 MYR 8.99

7.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$17.39 MYR 70.9

-5.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$3.59 MYR 14.63

-25.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$5.95 MYR 24.24

51.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.76 MYR 7.17

36.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$1.00 MYR 4.06

4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.71 MYR 6.96

-2.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.12 MYR 4.58

39.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$0.55 MYR 2.24

125.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$1.19 MYR 4.87

-8.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.75 MYR 3.06

1.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.45 MYR 1.82

13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$4.11 MYR 16.75

0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$19.47 MYR 79.4

-7.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$3.02 MYR 12.32

-46.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.00 MYR 8.15

41.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$1.26 MYR 5.14

-26.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$16.05 MYR 65.4

229.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$0.95 MYR 3.89

24.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$0.82 MYR 3.33

-79.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$2.51 MYR 10.21

-27.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$0.66 MYR 2.71

122.73%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$44.8K MYR 182.5K

-53.09%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$39.9K MYR 162.4K

-33.46%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$59.5 MYR 242

5.16%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$31.54 MYR 129

-63.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$30.82 MYR 126

-34.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$68.5 MYR 279

-44.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$12.11 MYR 49.34

-69.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$4.51 MYR 18.38

44.35%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$125 MYR 509

482.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$7,487 MYR 30.5K

121.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$65.4 MYR 267

-18.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$35.43 MYR 144

-30.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$78.3 MYR 319

15.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$92.1 MYR 375

-21.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$224 MYR 912

114.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$156 MYR 636

98.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$474 MYR 1,933

123.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$335 MYR 1,366

96.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$1,775 MYR 7,235

36.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,172 MYR 4,776

37.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$613 MYR 2,498

-2.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.5

23.78%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Bintulu

$156 18.3% 49.7% $154

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Bintulu

$235 27.6% 0.7% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 12.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 29% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Bintulu

$114 13.3% 48.5% $37

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Bintulu

$26 3.1% 55.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Bintulu

$78 9.1% 52.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $224 in Bintulu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bintulu pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $19 in Bintulu. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $235, with Bintulu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

07:09 7:09 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

240,172

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Bintulu

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 Bintulu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 9% 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.

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

Rent for a central apartment: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $224 in Bintulu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $935 per month in Chiang Mai versus $852 in Bintulu – Bintulu is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bintulu runs roughly 70% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bintulu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Chiang Mai and Bintulu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.