Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kampar

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampar: $878 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $700 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Kampar
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Kampar Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kampar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$878

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $878 in Kampar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kampar $878

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,349 in Kampar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kampar $1,349

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,820 in Kampar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kampar $1,820

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Kampar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Kampar are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kampar 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.15 MYR 8.75

4.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$19.27 MYR 78.4

-1.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.75 MYR 19.35

16.84%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.39 MYR 9.73

-30.13%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.51 MYR 2.06

25.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.46 MYR 1.88

-32.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.19 MYR 8.89

7.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.20 MYR 25.23

-40.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.94 MYR 7.89

0.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.69 MYR 2.83

108.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.85 MYR 7.51

-28.11%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.81 MYR 7.37

25.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.95 MYR 56.8

17.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.60 MYR 18.74

-39.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.21 MYR 29.34

29.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.35 MYR 13.62

-29.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.86 MYR 7.59

-47.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.27 MYR 9.23

-29.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.58 MYR 6.42

-5.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.22 MYR 4.96

4.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.36 MYR 5.53

-19.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.13 MYR 4.61

-37.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.71 MYR 2.89

-30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.36 MYR 17.73

-5.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$19.63 MYR 79.9

-10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.43 MYR 13.94

-53.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.01 MYR 20.38

-44.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.71 MYR 2.89

22.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$12.15 MYR 49.48

345.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.20 MYR 4.89

-3.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.23 MYR 5.01

-56.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$4.84 MYR 19.72

-50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$0.64 MYR 2.59

126.56%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$43.7K MYR 177.9K

-51.82%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$34.3K MYR 139.7K

-21.51%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$49.92 MYR 203

24.54%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$4.84 MYR 19.71

151.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$21.50 MYR 87.5

-6.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$36.90 MYR 150

1.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.60 MYR 26.86

-42.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.92 MYR 20.01

31.91%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$235 MYR 956

213.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$13.0K MYR 52.8K

13.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$60.3 MYR 245

-11.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$12.03 MYR 48.96

104.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$72.4 MYR 295

26.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$72.2 MYR 294

-0.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$407 MYR 1,656

18.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$289 MYR 1,178

6.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$707 MYR 2,877

42.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$547 MYR 2,226

15.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,867 MYR 7,599

26.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,348 MYR 5,486

17.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$371 MYR 1,511

58.87%

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 Kampar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kampar

$289 33% 6.3% $20

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kampar

$258 29.4% 10.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kampar

$98 11.1% 10.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kampar

$76 8.7% 19.3% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kampar

$87 10% 12.6% $9.8

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kampar

$22 2.6% 63.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kampar

$47 5.3% 7.1% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $407 in Kampar. 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 59% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $19 in Kampar. 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

🇲🇾 Kampar

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

23:19 11:19 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

98,878

💱 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 Kampar 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kampar

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 Kampar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Kampar, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,317 in Kampar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kampar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $407 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

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

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

Families tend to lean toward Kampar – 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.

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