CityCost App
Cost of living in 8000+ cities on the go.

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Petaling Jaya Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Petaling Jaya

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 3.3% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 3.2% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 7.1% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 3.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.97 เธฟ62.0
$3.48 MYRย 14.12
-43.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.68 เธฟ587
$18.63 MYRย 75.6
0.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.92 เธฟ249
$4.67 MYRย 18.97
69.59%
Cappuccino
$2.02 เธฟ63.7
$2.82 MYRย 11.44
-28.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 เธฟ26.45
$0.73 MYRย 2.98
15.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 เธฟ11.07
$0.37 MYRย 1.49
-5.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.22 เธฟ69.9
$3.46 MYRย 14.04
-35.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 เธฟ113
$5.19 MYRย 21.08
-30.83%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 เธฟ52.4
$1.91 MYRย 7.76
-12.57%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 เธฟ51.1
$1.01 MYRย 4.11
60.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.20 เธฟ37.83
$1.75 MYRย 7.09
-31.43%
Eggs
$1.93 เธฟ60.8
$2.27 MYRย 9.22
-14.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.00 เธฟ503
$10.56 MYRย 42.88
51.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.16 เธฟ99.2
$3.44 MYRย 13.95
-8.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.93 เธฟ344
$8.23 MYRย 33.41
32.81%
Apples (1kg)
$2.67 เธฟ83.8
$2.69 MYRย 10.90
-0.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 เธฟ36.99
$1.74 MYRย 7.06
-32.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.64 เธฟ51.5
$2.48 MYRย 10.09
-33.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 เธฟ49.83
$1.19 MYRย 4.85
33.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 เธฟ41.64
$1.19 MYRย 4.82
10.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.19 เธฟ37.49
$1.38 MYRย 5.60
-13.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 เธฟ22.20
$0.90 MYRย 3.63
-21.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 เธฟ17.75
$0.59 MYRย 2.41
-5.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.64 เธฟ146
$4.33 MYRย 17.59
7.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.96 เธฟ596
$19.00 MYRย 77.2
-0.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 เธฟ55.7
$2.69 MYRย 10.91
-34.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 เธฟ101
$3.83 MYRย 15.54
-16.45%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Petaling Jaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.90 เธฟ28.32
$0.75 MYRย 3.03
20.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.24 เธฟ605
$11.71 MYRย 47.54
64.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 เธฟ42.78
$1.02 MYRย 4.14
33.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 เธฟ42.37
$0.35 MYRย 1.44
285.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.15 เธฟ256
$9.01 MYRย 36.59
-9.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 เธฟ38.43
$0.50 MYRย 2.02
144.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K เธฟ671.8K
$31.9K MYRย 129.5K
-32.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.7K เธฟ683.8K
$27.5K MYRย 111.6K
-20.87%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.3 เธฟ2,210
$41.33 MYRย 168
70.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.91 เธฟ437
$9.31 MYRย 37.82
49.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.00 เธฟ566
$23.39 MYRย 95.0
-23.04%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.78 เธฟ1,314
$37.06 MYRย 150
12.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.80 เธฟ214
$7.33 MYRย 29.75
-7.23%
Cinema Ticket
$5.72 เธฟ180
$4.80 MYRย 19.51
19.17%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 เธฟ9,693
$213 MYRย 864
44.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K เธฟ465.7K
$8,234 MYRย 33.4K
79.89%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.9 เธฟ1,756
$49.78 MYRย 202
12.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.71 เธฟ840
$34.45 MYRย 140
-22.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.5 เธฟ2,658
$54.1 MYRย 220
56.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.8 เธฟ2,227
$48.92 MYRย 199
44.79%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Petaling Jaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$431 เธฟ13.5K
$454 MYRย 1,843
-5.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 เธฟ7,439
$349 MYRย 1,418
-32.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$811 เธฟ25.5K
$835 MYRย 3,388
-2.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$501 เธฟ15.7K
$554 MYRย 2,249
-9.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,202 เธฟ69.2K
$3,218 MYRย 13.1K
-31.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,600 เธฟ50.3K
$759 MYRย 3,081
110.89%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$684 เธฟ21.5K
$1,712 MYRย 6,952
-60.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
4.49
11.36%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: January 13, 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
Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.