Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bukit Mertajam

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Bukit Mertajam

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

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

Chiang Mai $936
Bukit Mertajam $621

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

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bukit Mertajam $976

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

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

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 51% more expensive than in Bukit Mertajam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.91 MYR 7.76

17.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$20.97 MYR 85.0

-9.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.98 MYR 16.15

39.45%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.14 MYR 12.72

-46.82%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.69 MYR 2.81

-7.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.45 MYR 1.84

-31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$4.51 MYR 18.28

-47.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.26 MYR 25.38

-41.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.66 MYR 6.73

17.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.12 MYR 4.55

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.95 MYR 7.91

-31.79%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.55 MYR 10.33

-10.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.83 MYR 56.1

18.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.41 MYR 17.89

-36.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.98 MYR 40.48

-6.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.39 MYR 13.74

-30.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.76 MYR 7.13

-44.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.26 MYR 9.17

-29.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.55 MYR 6.29

-3.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.27 MYR 5.13

0.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.38 MYR 5.58

-20.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.12 MYR 4.53

-36.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.67 MYR 2.70

-26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.45 MYR 18.04

-6.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$19.54 MYR 79.2

-10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.42 MYR 13.85

-52.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.08 MYR 20.61

-45.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.24 MYR 5.01

-6.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-55.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.95 MYR 20.07

-51.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.81 MYR 3.29

79.01%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$43.9K MYR 177.8K

-51.99%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$35.5K MYR 144.0K

-24.13%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$63.1 MYR 256

-1.44%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$8.54 MYR 34.62

42.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$26.67 MYR 108

-24.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.00 MYR 20.28

29.80%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$249 MYR 1,009

195.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$13.1K MYR 53.2K

12.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$70.5 MYR 286

-24.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$41.35 MYR 168

-40.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$86.7 MYR 352

5.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$95.0 MYR 385

-24.27%

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 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$572 MYR 2,321

3.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.17

33.57%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bukit Mertajam

$269 43.3% 14.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bukit Mertajam

$132 21.3% 21.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bukit Mertajam

$98 15.8% 4.1% $3.8

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bukit Mertajam

$105 16.8% 34.8% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bukit Mertajam

$7.2 * 1.2% 88.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6% 80.1% $40

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

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🕒 Local time

01:24 1:24 AM

02:24 2:24 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

212,329

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Bukit Mertajam

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 Bukit Mertajam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 3% higher in Chiang Mai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

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 $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $621 in Bukit Mertajam – 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, Chiang Mai and Bukit Mertajam 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.