Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Butterworth

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Butterworth: $936 and $913 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $913 in Butterworth, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Butterworth $913

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,408 in Butterworth, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Butterworth $1,408

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,902 in Butterworth, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Butterworth $1,902

Chiang Mai and Butterworth have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Butterworth are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Butterworth 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.72 MYR 15.10

-39.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$19.36 MYR 78.5

-1.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.77 MYR 19.36

16.35%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.89 MYR 11.71

-42.21%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.73 MYR 2.95

-12.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.36 MYR 1.48

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$4.12 MYR 16.71

-42.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.38 MYR 17.75

-16.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.12 MYR 8.58

-8.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.10 MYR 4.47

30.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.69 MYR 6.85

-21.30%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.24 MYR 9.09

1.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.69 MYR 55.5

20.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.49 MYR 18.19

-38.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.64 MYR 35.03

7.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.06 MYR 12.42

-23.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.71 MYR 6.92

-43.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.23 MYR 9.04

-28.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.47 MYR 5.96

2.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.06 MYR 4.31

20.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.09 MYR 4.40

0.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.09 MYR 4.41

-34.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.58 MYR 2.37

-15.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.36 MYR 17.69

-5.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$19.00 MYR 77.0

-7.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.93 MYR 11.86

-45.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.98 MYR 20.18

-44.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.70 MYR 2.83

24.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$10.85 MYR 44.00

398.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.19 MYR 4.81

-2.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.38 MYR 1.52

39.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.85 MYR 19.64

-50.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.89 MYR 3.59

62.92%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$43.5K MYR 176.3K

-51.57%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$35.5K MYR 143.8K

-24.04%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$36.81 MYR 149

68.89%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$8.61 MYR 34.89

41.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$26.45 MYR 107

-23.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$32.93 MYR 133

13.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.90 MYR 23.90

-36.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.79 MYR 19.44

35.49%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$240 MYR 973

206.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$10.9K MYR 44.1K

35.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$59.8 MYR 242

-10.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$35.01 MYR 142

-29.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$82.5 MYR 334

10.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$69.5 MYR 282

3.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$412 MYR 1,671

17.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$300 MYR 1,218

2.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$813 MYR 3,296

23.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$563 MYR 2,283

12.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,966 MYR 7,969

20.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,205 MYR 4,886

31.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Butterworth: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Butterworth

$300 32.9% 2.8% $8.6

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Butterworth

$258 28.3% 10.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Butterworth

$111 12.2% 2.2% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Butterworth

$72 7.9% 23.9% $23

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Butterworth

$113 12.3% 45% $35

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Butterworth

$17 1.8% 72.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Butterworth

$43 4.7% 15.5% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $412 in Butterworth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $19 in Butterworth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $258 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🕒 Local time

01:24 1:24 AM

02:24 2:24 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

339,132

💱 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 Butterworth 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Butterworth

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 Butterworth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,370 in Butterworth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Butterworth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $240 in Butterworth. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $913 in Butterworth, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Butterworth – 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.