Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cyberjaya, Selangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Cyberjaya, Selangor: $847 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

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

Cost of Living Index in Cyberjaya, Selangor
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Cyberjaya, Selangor Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Cyberjaya, Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Cyberjaya, Selangor

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $847 in Cyberjaya, Selangor, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Cyberjaya, Selangor $847

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,186 in Cyberjaya, Selangor, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Cyberjaya, Selangor $1,186

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,525 in Cyberjaya, Selangor, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Cyberjaya, Selangor $1,525

Chiang Mai costs about 11% more than Cyberjaya, Selangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Cyberjaya, Selangor are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Cyberjaya, Selangor 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$2.75 MYR 11.22

-17.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$17.15 MYR 70.0

11.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$5.01 MYR 20.46

11.58%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.68 MYR 6.84

2.38%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.73 MYR 2.96

-12.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.25 MYR 1.03

32.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.99 MYR 8.12

18.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.62 MYR 14.77

7.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.69 MYR 6.90

21.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.00 MYR 4.08

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.44 MYR 5.87

-11.11%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.36 MYR 5.53

65.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$11.49 MYR 46.88

47.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$3.48 MYR 14.21

-21.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$3.61 MYR 14.75

159.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.51 MYR 10.22

-4.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.61 MYR 6.56

-37.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.85 MYR 7.57

-12.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.96 MYR 3.91

58.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.77 MYR 3.14

66.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.87 MYR 3.53

27.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.00 MYR 4.06

-28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.51 MYR 2.07

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$4.19 MYR 17.10

3.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$13.92 MYR 56.8

27.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.01 MYR 8.22

-18.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.00 MYR 8.15

42.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.97 MYR 3.95

-12.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$12.37 MYR 50.5

335.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.75 MYR 3.04

56.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.74 MYR 3.02

-22.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$9.69 MYR 39.54

-75.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.63 MYR 2.58

130.16%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$40.5K MYR 165.2K

-49.44%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$35.2K MYR 143.4K

-24.59%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$53.0 MYR 216

17.56%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$8.08 MYR 32.98

51.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$24.46 MYR 99.8

-18.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$53.2 MYR 217

-28.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$11.10 MYR 45.30

-66.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$4.88 MYR 19.92

37.50%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$161 MYR 657

394.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$2,406 MYR 9,814

516.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$54.7 MYR 223

-2.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$16.76 MYR 68.4

49.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$81.6 MYR 333

12.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$99.2 MYR 404

-25.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$343 MYR 1,401

35.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$295 MYR 1,204

3.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$636 MYR 2,595

43.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$340 MYR 1,388

62.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,733 MYR 7,070

-65.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.06

37.19%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cyberjaya, Selangor: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Cyberjaya, Selangor

$295 34.8% 3.1% $9.5

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Cyberjaya, Selangor

$191 22.6% 19.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Cyberjaya, Selangor

$113 13.4% 3.6% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Cyberjaya, Selangor

$86 10.1% 9.5% $9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Cyberjaya, Selangor

$78 9.2% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Cyberjaya, Selangor

$21 2.4% 66.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Cyberjaya, Selangor

$63 7.4% 22.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $343 in Cyberjaya, Selangor. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 191% higher in Cyberjaya, Selangor, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $17.00 in Cyberjaya, Selangor. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $191 – making Cyberjaya, Selangor the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇾 Cyberjaya, Selangor

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

14:10 2:10 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

79,200

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Cyberjaya, Selangor 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cyberjaya, Selangor

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 Cyberjaya, Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 11% more than Cyberjaya, Selangor, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,271 in Cyberjaya, Selangor. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cyberjaya, Selangor, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $161 in Cyberjaya, Selangor. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cyberjaya, Selangor, where all-in costs run around $847, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Cyberjaya, Selangor it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cyberjaya, Selangor costs $847 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cyberjaya, Selangor. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.