Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sarawak

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Sarawak: $936 and $954 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 Sarawak
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Sarawak Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $954 in Sarawak, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sarawak $954

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,408 in Sarawak, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sarawak $1,408

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,862 in Sarawak, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sarawak $1,862

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

Both Chiang Mai and Sarawak are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sarawak 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.58 MYR 14.58

-37.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$19.96 MYR 81.2

-4.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.70 MYR 19.15

18.09%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.96 MYR 12.05

-43.58%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.77 MYR 3.12

-16.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.39 MYR 1.59

-20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.95 MYR 16.07

-40.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.57 MYR 18.61

-19.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.75 MYR 7.12

11.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.22 MYR 4.97

18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.36 MYR 5.52

-2.21%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.26 MYR 9.19

0.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$14.46 MYR 58.9

13.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.07 MYR 16.57

-31.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.85 MYR 40.09

-5.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.90 MYR 11.80

-18.97%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.45 MYR 5.88

-33.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.38 MYR 9.71

-32.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.31 MYR 5.33

14.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.23 MYR 5.02

4.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.24 MYR 5.06

-11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.11 MYR 4.50

-36.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.46 MYR 1.89

6.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.27 MYR 17.39

-3.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$16.86 MYR 68.6

3.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.93 MYR 11.93

-45.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.03 MYR 16.39

-31.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.75 MYR 3.04

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$10.56 MYR 43.00

412.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.12 MYR 4.55

3.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.51 MYR 2.08

3.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$6.93 MYR 28.19

-65.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$0.77 MYR 3.15

88.31%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$50.4K MYR 205.0K

-58.19%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$39.9K MYR 162.3K

-32.44%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$52.9 MYR 215

17.46%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$10.66 MYR 43.39

14.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$29.13 MYR 119

-30.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$40.05 MYR 163

-6.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.22 MYR 29.40

-47.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.60 MYR 22.81

15.89%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$241 MYR 980

205.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$6,956 MYR 28.3K

112.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$58.1 MYR 236

-8.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$29.97 MYR 122

-17.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$87.0 MYR 354

5.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$75.9 MYR 309

-5.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$410 MYR 1,668

17.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$318 MYR 1,296

-2.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$704 MYR 2,867

42.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$491 MYR 1,998

29.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$2,170 MYR 8,832

8.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,323 MYR 5,387

20.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$349 MYR 1,419

69.19%

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 Sarawak: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sarawak

$318 33.4% 3.1% $9.4

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sarawak

$249 26.1% 6.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sarawak

$113 11.8% 3.9% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sarawak

$93 9.7% 1.8% $1.7

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sarawak

$112 11.7% 44.1% $34

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sarawak

$17 1.8% 71.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sarawak

$51 5.4% 1.9% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $410 in Sarawak. 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 69% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $20 in Sarawak. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $249 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🕒 Local time

01:58 1:58 AM

02:58 2:58 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 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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Between locations

Chiang Mai Sarawak 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sarawak

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 Sarawak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,430 in Sarawak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sarawak, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $410 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $20 in Sarawak. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 80% less in Sarawak. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $954 in Sarawak. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $954 in Sarawak. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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