Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shah Alam Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shah Alam

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 1% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 0.8% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 0.4% cheaper than Shah Alam without rent, and 2.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.03 ฿64.2

$3.10 MYR 12.22

-34.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.59 ฿588

$19.09 MYR 75.2

-2.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 ฿237

$4.36 MYR 17.20

71.56%

Cappuccino

$2.00 ฿63.2

$2.70 MYR 10.63

-25.93%

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

$0.85 ฿26.81

$0.67 MYR 2.63

26.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.13

$0.40 MYR 1.56

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿70.0

$3.63 MYR 14.29

-39.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 ฿119

$4.45 MYR 17.53

-15.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ฿54.4

$1.88 MYR 7.40

-8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ฿51.7

$1.00 MYR 3.94

63.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 ฿36.66

$1.48 MYR 5.85

-21.62%

Eggs

$1.98 ฿62.6

$2.07 MYR 8.16

-4.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.93 ฿504

$13.99 MYR 55.1

13.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ฿100

$5.10 MYR 20.11

-37.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿345

$8.35 MYR 32.90

30.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ฿83.7

$2.93 MYR 11.56

-9.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿38.70

$1.45 MYR 5.73

-15.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 ฿53.7

$2.58 MYR 10.16

-34.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿50.3

$1.26 MYR 4.98

26.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿41.90

$1.18 MYR 4.66

11.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ฿36.99

$1.34 MYR 5.28

-12.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ฿21.46

$0.95 MYR 3.76

-28.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.64

$0.53 MYR 2.08

5.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 ฿143

$4.25 MYR 16.74

6.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.07 ฿604

$19.61 MYR 77.3

-2.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿56.0

$2.71 MYR 10.69

-34.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ฿101

$3.92 MYR 15.43

-18.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ฿30.47

$0.69 MYR 2.70

39.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.90 ฿598

$15.40 MYR 60.7

22.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.98

$0.97 MYR 3.82

40.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.80

$0.54 MYR 2.14

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 ฿254

$7.28 MYR 28.69

10.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ฿39.34

$0.50 MYR 1.96

148.00%

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

$21.2K ฿669.8K

$33.9K MYR 133.5K

-37.52%

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

$21.8K ฿688.5K

$27.4K MYR 107.8K

-20.49%

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

$71.2 ฿2,255

$41.23 MYR 162

72.79%

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

$14.09 ฿446

$10.06 MYR 39.64

40.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.47 ฿553

$30.59 MYR 121

-42.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 ฿1,332

$37.83 MYR 149

11.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.88 ฿218

$5.97 MYR 23.53

15.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.94 ฿188

$6.17 MYR 24.29

-3.73%

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

$307 ฿9,728

$214 MYR 844

43.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿468.2K

$6,253 MYR 24.6K

136.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ฿1,762

$49.91 MYR 197

11.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.79 ฿848

$34.95 MYR 138

-23.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ฿2,634

$60.4 MYR 238

37.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ฿2,219

$49.52 MYR 195

41.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ฿13.5K

$372 MYR 1,466

14.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,504

$268 MYR 1,058

-11.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 ฿25.4K

$586 MYR 2,310

36.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ฿15.9K

$488 MYR 1,922

3.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 ฿65.2K

$1,561 MYR 6,151

31.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,533 ฿48.5K

$1,215 MYR 4,789

26.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 ฿20.7K

$1,277 MYR 5,032

-48.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

20.19%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: March 3, 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

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