Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and George Town, Malaysia

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in George Town: $936 and $952 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in George Town

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $952 in George Town, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
George Town $952

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,558 in George Town, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
George Town $1,558

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,164 in George Town, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
George Town $2,164

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

Both Chiang Mai and George Town are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, George Town 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.46 MYR 14.06

-35.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$15.45 MYR 62.9

22.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.68 MYR 19.05

18.59%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.75 MYR 11.20

-39.27%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.70 MYR 2.86

-8.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.35 MYR 1.43

-11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.47 MYR 10.07

-4.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.42 MYR 18.01

-17.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.87 MYR 7.61

4.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.05 MYR 4.27

37.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.73 MYR 7.04

-23.12%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.22 MYR 9.03

2.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.65 MYR 55.6

20.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.48 MYR 18.22

-37.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.70 MYR 35.40

7.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.34 MYR 9.51

0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.46 MYR 5.93

-33.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.22 MYR 9.04

-27.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.20 MYR 4.89

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.92 MYR 3.73

39.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.85 MYR 3.47

29.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.74 MYR 3.03

-4.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.59 MYR 2.39

-16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.58 MYR 18.62

-9.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$18.84 MYR 76.7

-7.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.41 MYR 9.81

-33.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.56 MYR 14.51

-21.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.47 MYR 1.93

85.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$12.01 MYR 48.90

350.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.23 MYR 5.01

-5.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.51 MYR 2.06

3.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$6.53 MYR 26.60

-62.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$0.82 MYR 3.35

76.83%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$45.5K MYR 185.4K

-53.76%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$34.6K MYR 141.0K

-22.20%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$36.85 MYR 150

68.71%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$8.05 MYR 32.76

51.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$28.38 MYR 116

-29.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$40.35 MYR 164

-7.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.03 MYR 20.47

-25.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.52 MYR 18.38

43.58%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$168 MYR 686

336.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$4,958 MYR 20.2K

197.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$53.2 MYR 216

0.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$34.86 MYR 142

-29.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$73.5 MYR 299

24.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$70.8 MYR 288

1.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$709 MYR 2,885

-31.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$366 MYR 1,491

-15.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,104 MYR 4,493

-8.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$904 MYR 3,681

-29.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,057 MYR 4,302

-44.20%

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 George Town: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

George Town

$366 38.5% 18.6% $57

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

George Town

$241 25.3% 2.9% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

George Town

$105 11% 3.8% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

George Town

$73 7.7% 22.4% $21

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

George Town

$100 10.5% 29.1% $23

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

George Town

$18 1.9% 71.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

George Town

$49 5.2% 1.8% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $709 in George Town. 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 79% higher in George Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $15 in George Town. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $241 in George Town – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇾 George Town

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

21:26 9:26 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

794,313

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai George Town 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
George Town

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 George Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,429 in George Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $709 in George Town.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $15 in George Town. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 78% less in George Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $952 in George Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $952 in George Town. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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

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