Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kuala Lumpur

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 13% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 18.8% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 13.5% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 13.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.02 ฿65.3

$4.58 MYR 19.31

-55.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.78 ฿608

$28.83 MYR 122

-34.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.67 ฿248

$4.77 MYR 20.13

60.80%

Cappuccino

$1.98 ฿64.2

$2.96 MYR 12.48

-33.11%

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

$0.82 ฿26.64

$0.85 MYR 3.58

-3.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿10.58

$0.5 MYR 2.11

-34.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ฿68.6

$4.23 MYR 17.82

-49.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿121

$5.95 MYR 25.11

-37.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿53.2

$2.08 MYR 8.78

-21.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ฿50.9

$1 MYR 4.22

57.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 ฿38.62

$1.64 MYR 6.92

-27.44%

Eggs

$1.98 ฿64.1

$2.29 MYR 9.64

-13.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.99 ฿517

$14.84 MYR 62.6

7.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ฿101

$4.52 MYR 19.05

-30.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿361

$9.51 MYR 40.1

17.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ฿89.2

$2.95 MYR 12.46

-6.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿39.5

$1.62 MYR 6.85

-24.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ฿55.4

$2.7 MYR 11.37

-36.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿50.2

$1.51 MYR 6.38

2.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 ฿43.21

$1.21 MYR 5.11

10.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ฿39.23

$1.4 MYR 5.92

-13.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿23.2

$1.21 MYR 5.09

-40.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.05

$0.68 MYR 2.87

-22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 ฿153

$4.19 MYR 17.68

12.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.39 ฿595

$18.11 MYR 76.4

1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿57.9

$3.33 MYR 14.06

-46.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ฿104

$4.39 MYR 18.5

-26.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ฿30.44

$0.72 MYR 3.06

30.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.9 ฿612

$11.74 MYR 49.49

60.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ฿46.08

$1.21 MYR 5.11

17.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿43.53

$1.13 MYR 4.78

19.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 ฿254

$4.59 MYR 19.35

71.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ฿40.4

$0.48 MYR 2.01

160.42%

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

$21.2K ฿684.9K

$40K MYR 168.8K

-47.14%

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

$21.8K ฿706.8K

$33K MYR 139.2K

-33.81%

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

$70.6 ฿2,285

$64.8 MYR 273

8.98%

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

$13.72 ฿444

$11.7 MYR 49.34

17.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.56 ฿568

$25.5 MYR 108

-31.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.64 ฿1,347

$45.93 MYR 194

-9.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.9 ฿223

$7.76 MYR 32.73

-11.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.8 ฿188

$5.23 MYR 22.03

10.90%

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

$308 ฿9,963

$266 MYR 1,122

15.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ฿475.8K

$9,267 MYR 39.1K

58.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 ฿1,793

$61.5 MYR 259

-9.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.4 ฿854

$38.04 MYR 160

-30.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 ฿2,755

$86.3 MYR 364

-1.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 ฿2,323

$79.6 MYR 336

-9.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 ฿14K

$578 MYR 2,437

-24.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ฿7,610

$371 MYR 1,566

-36.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 ฿26.6K

$1,061 MYR 4,472

-22.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿16.1K

$628 MYR 2,649

-20.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,180 ฿70.6K

$3,071 MYR 12.9K

-29.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,543 ฿49.9K

$1,532 MYR 6,459

0.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ฿22.8K

$1,342 MYR 5,659

-47.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

11.86%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 28, 2025

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