Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nilai

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Nilai: $925 and $944 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 Nilai
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Nilai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Nilai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $944 in Nilai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Nilai $944

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,408 in Nilai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Nilai $1,408

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,873 in Nilai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Nilai $1,873

Chiang Mai is about 2% cheaper than Nilai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Nilai are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Nilai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$3.61 MYR 14.71

-36.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$19.70 MYR 80.4

-0.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$6.16 MYR 25.13

-8.93%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.45 MYR 14.09

-51.88%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.81 MYR 3.32

-13.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.38 MYR 1.56

-18.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$3.56 MYR 14.54

-32.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.48 MYR 18.29

-17.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.73 MYR 7.05

12.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.38 MYR 5.65

2.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.43 MYR 5.84

-8.39%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.22 MYR 9.06

-1.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$13.82 MYR 56.4

20.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.32 MYR 17.61

-36.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$9.83 MYR 40.11

-7.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.22 MYR 13.15

-25.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.69 MYR 6.91

-39.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.47 MYR 10.07

-34.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.55 MYR 6.33

-3.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.28 MYR 5.21

0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.29 MYR 5.27

-13.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.18 MYR 4.81

-38.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.56 MYR 2.29

-5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.97 MYR 20.29

-13.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$20.83 MYR 85.0

-13.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$2.60 MYR 10.60

-39.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$4.35 MYR 17.75

-34.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.73 MYR 2.99

17.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$13.51 MYR 55.1

294.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.12 MYR 4.57

8.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.52 MYR 2.11

9.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$8.45 MYR 34.46

-72.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.96 MYR 3.93

50.00%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$42.8K MYR 174.4K

-51.52%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$30.6K MYR 125.0K

-12.56%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$49.33 MYR 201

26.35%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$9.58 MYR 39.06

26.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$28.03 MYR 114

-28.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$36.98 MYR 151

0.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$6.36 MYR 25.94

-40.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$4.79 MYR 19.55

35.70%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$186 MYR 759

326.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$6,358 MYR 25.9K

132.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$49.57 MYR 202

8.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$37.46 MYR 153

-34.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$75.4 MYR 308

20.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$81.2 MYR 331

-12.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$382 MYR 1,558

19.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$297 MYR 1,210

0.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$665 MYR 2,715

36.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$477 MYR 1,947

16.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$2,219 MYR 9,052

-12.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$979 MYR 3,993

47.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,393 MYR 5,683

-57.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.06

37.19%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nilai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Nilai

$297 31.4% 0.4% $1.3

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Nilai

$263 27.9% 11.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Nilai

$110 11.6% 1.3% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Nilai

$87 9.2% 7.9% $7.4

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Nilai

$120 12.8% 53.1% $42

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nilai

$20 2.1% 66.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nilai

$47 4.9% 7% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $382 in Nilai. 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 136% higher in Nilai, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $20.00 in Nilai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $263 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇾 Nilai

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

38,612

💱 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Nilai 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nilai

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 Nilai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nilai costs about 2% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,415 in Nilai. 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 $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $186 in Nilai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Nilai, 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 $925, than in Nilai at $944. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nilai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $944 in Nilai. 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, Nilai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.