Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kota Kinabalu

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Kota Kinabalu: $906 and $917 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Kota Kinabalu

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $917 in Kota Kinabalu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Kota Kinabalu $917

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,429 in Kota Kinabalu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Kota Kinabalu $1,429

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,941 in Kota Kinabalu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Kota Kinabalu $1,941

Chiang Mai is about 1% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kota Kinabalu are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Kota Kinabalu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$3.57 MYR 14.59

-40.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$19.54 MYR 79.8

-0.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$4.92 MYR 20.09

11.18%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$2.63 MYR 10.74

-36.12%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$0.60 MYR 2.44

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$0.30 MYR 1.22

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$2.39 MYR 9.75

1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$3.74 MYR 15.27

-0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$1.74 MYR 7.11

18.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$1.28 MYR 5.23

14.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$2.26 MYR 9.23

-40.27%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$3.46 MYR 14.13

-34.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$28.33 MYR 116

-42.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$3.69 MYR 15.05

-26.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$6.68 MYR 27.27

37.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$2.24 MYR 9.15

6.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$1.43 MYR 5.84

-27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$1.94 MYR 7.91

-17.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$1.99 MYR 8.13

-27.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$1.67 MYR 6.81

-22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$2.13 MYR 8.71

-47.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$0.94 MYR 3.84

-25.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$0.47 MYR 1.93

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$4.92 MYR 20.10

-16.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$15.84 MYR 64.7

12.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$3.63 MYR 14.81

-55.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$2.47 MYR 10.07

16.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$1.91 MYR 7.80

-54.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$41.92 MYR 171

26.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$1.91 MYR 7.82

-36.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$0.23 MYR 0.94

143.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$0.76 MYR 3.11

97.37%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

-50.50%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$35.6K MYR 145.5K

-24.98%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$70.5 MYR 288

-13.08%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$9.69 MYR 39.56

29.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$32.36 MYR 132

-37.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$52.3 MYR 214

-27.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$3.09 MYR 12.64

22.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$5.22 MYR 21.31

26.44%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$141 MYR 575

449.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$6,995 MYR 28.6K

106.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$81.5 MYR 333

-32.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$36.64 MYR 150

-31.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$93.7 MYR 382

-3.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$48.75 MYR 199

50.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$425 MYR 1,735

7.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$193 MYR 788

52.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$679 MYR 2,771

35.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$368 MYR 1,501

50.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$1,848 MYR 7,546

3.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$1,099 MYR 4,489

31.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$592 MYR 2,419

-0.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.9

42.82%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Kota Kinabalu

$193 20.9% 34.3% $101

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Kota Kinabalu

$288 31.1% 21.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Kota Kinabalu

$117 12.7% 6.8% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Kota Kinabalu

$113 12.2% 19.6% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6% 26.7% $21

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kota Kinabalu

$53 5.7% 13.2% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Kota Kinabalu

$63 6.8% 22.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $425 in Kota Kinabalu. 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 0% higher in Kota Kinabalu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $288 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

12:42 12:42 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

500,425

💱 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kota Kinabalu 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kota Kinabalu

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 Kota Kinabalu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kota Kinabalu costs about 1% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,375 in Kota Kinabalu. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Chiang Mai and $141 in Kota Kinabalu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Kota Kinabalu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $906, than in Kota Kinabalu at $917. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kota Kinabalu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $917 in Kota Kinabalu. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kota Kinabalu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.