Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Putra Heights

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Putra Heights: $936 and $927 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 Putra Heights
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Putra Heights Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Putra Heights

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Putra Heights

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $927 in Putra Heights, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Putra Heights $927

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,421 in Putra Heights, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Putra Heights $1,421

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,915 in Putra Heights, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Putra Heights $1,915

Chiang Mai and Putra Heights have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Putra Heights are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Putra Heights 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.77 MYR 15.35

-40.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$18.15 MYR 73.9

4.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.90 MYR 19.95

13.27%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.83 MYR 11.51

-40.99%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.78 MYR 3.18

-17.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.42 MYR 1.71

-26.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$4.51 MYR 18.34

-47.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.23 MYR 25.38

-41.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.67 MYR 6.78

16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.07 MYR 4.34

34.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.43 MYR 5.84

-6.99%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.75 MYR 7.12

30.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$14.08 MYR 57.3

16.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.56 MYR 18.56

-39.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.18 MYR 41.44

-8.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.31 MYR 13.49

-29.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.73 MYR 7.06

-43.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.31 MYR 9.39

-30.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.50 MYR 6.09

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.23 MYR 5.00

4.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.36 MYR 5.53

-19.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.13 MYR 4.61

-37.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.55 MYR 2.22

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.40 MYR 17.93

-5.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$14.20 MYR 57.8

23.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.95 MYR 12.01

-45.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.02 MYR 12.30

-7.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.74 MYR 3.02

17.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$12.19 MYR 49.61

343.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.95 MYR 3.86

22.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.71 MYR 2.87

-25.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$4.99 MYR 20.33

-51.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$0.87 MYR 3.54

66.67%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$44.4K MYR 180.9K

-52.62%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$34.7K MYR 141.1K

-22.27%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$62.9 MYR 256

-1.16%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$8.99 MYR 36.61

35.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$25.85 MYR 105

-22.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$37.32 MYR 152

-0.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.72 MYR 23.29

-34.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.01 MYR 20.37

29.54%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$241 MYR 981

205.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$5,302 MYR 21.6K

178.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$54.1 MYR 220

-1.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$16.45 MYR 67.0

49.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$79.9 MYR 325

14.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$97.9 MYR 399

-26.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$422 MYR 1,716

14.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$286 MYR 1,164

8.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$707 MYR 2,878

42.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$546 MYR 2,223

15.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,818 MYR 7,400

29.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,236 MYR 5,031

28.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,102 MYR 4,486

-46.49%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Putra Heights: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Putra Heights

$286 30.8% 7.5% $23

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Putra Heights

$246 26.5% 5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Putra Heights

$112 12.1% 2.9% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Putra Heights

$98 10.5% 3.5% $3.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Putra Heights

$119 12.8% 52.9% $41

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Putra Heights

$20 2.1% 68% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Putra Heights

$47 5.1% 5.8% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $422 in Putra Heights. 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 87% higher in Putra Heights. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $18 in Putra Heights. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $246 in Putra Heights – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇾 Putra Heights

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

01:34 1:34 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

60,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Putra Heights 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Putra Heights

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 Putra Heights: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,390 in Putra Heights. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Putra Heights, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $422 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $18 in Putra Heights. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 77% less in Putra Heights. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Putra Heights – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.