Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kota Kinabalu Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kota Kinabalu

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 5.8% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 0.1% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 15.8% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 0.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 ฿62.0

$3.55 MYR 14.42

-44.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 ฿587

$18.72 MYR 76.0

-0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 ฿249

$4.62 MYR 18.78

71.43%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿63.7

$2.60 MYR 10.55

-22.31%

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

$0.84 ฿26.45

$0.64 MYR 2.58

31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.07

$0.40 MYR 1.61

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 ฿69.9

$2.40 MYR 9.72

-7.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿113

$3.44 MYR 13.95

4.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿52.4

$1.69 MYR 6.85

-1.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.1

$1.20 MYR 4.87

35.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 ฿37.83

$1.68 MYR 6.83

-28.57%

Eggs

$1.93 ฿60.8

$2.92 MYR 11.84

-33.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.00 ฿503

$26.22 MYR 106

-38.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ฿99.2

$3.57 MYR 14.51

-11.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿344

$7.21 MYR 29.29

51.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ฿83.8

$2.53 MYR 10.26

5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿36.99

$1.16 MYR 4.72

1.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ฿51.5

$3.16 MYR 12.81

-48.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿49.83

$2.02 MYR 8.19

-21.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿41.64

$1.51 MYR 6.12

-12.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿37.49

$1.72 MYR 6.97

-30.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.20

$1.07 MYR 4.35

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.75

$0.48 MYR 1.93

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 ฿146

$4.10 MYR 16.66

13.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 ฿596

$19.44 MYR 78.9

-2.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.7

$1.86 MYR 7.56

-4.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ฿101

$1.62 MYR 6.59

97.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿28.32

$1.57 MYR 6.39

-42.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

$40.90 MYR 166

-52.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.78

$1.86 MYR 7.54

-26.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.37

$0.44 MYR 1.78

206.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ฿256

$5.78 MYR 23.48

41.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿38.43

$0.47 MYR 1.89

159.57%

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

$21.4K ฿671.8K

$29.6K MYR 120.3K

-27.88%

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

$21.7K ฿683.8K

$27.3K MYR 110.8K

-20.29%

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

$70.3 ฿2,210

$52.5 MYR 213

33.90%

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

$13.91 ฿437

$9.04 MYR 36.70

53.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 ฿566

$33.02 MYR 134

-45.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 ฿1,314

$42.82 MYR 174

-2.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 ฿214

$2.99 MYR 12.14

127.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.72 ฿180

$4.78 MYR 19.42

19.67%

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

$308 ฿9,693

$129 MYR 522

139.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿465.7K

$4,463 MYR 18.1K

231.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 ฿1,756

$59.7 MYR 242

-6.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.71 ฿840

$22.57 MYR 91.6

18.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 ฿2,658

$71.7 MYR 291

17.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 ฿2,227

$94.7 MYR 385

-25.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 ฿13.5K

$376 MYR 1,526

14.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,439

$165 MYR 669

43.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.5K

$653 MYR 2,653

24.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿15.7K

$372 MYR 1,509

34.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,202 ฿69.2K

$1,848 MYR 7,502

19.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ฿50.3K

$1,092 MYR 4,434

46.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

$580 MYR 2,356

17.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

31.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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