Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shah Alam

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Shah Alam: $925 and $937 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 Shah Alam
Learn more

Shah Alam Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Shah Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Shah Alam

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $937 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Shah Alam $937

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,432 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Shah Alam $1,432

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,927 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Shah Alam $1,927

Chiang Mai is about 1% cheaper than Shah Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$3.69 MYR 15.07

-37.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$19.56 MYR 79.8

0.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$4.05 MYR 16.52

38.52%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.98 MYR 12.17

-44.30%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.72 MYR 2.95

-2.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.38 MYR 1.57

-18.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$3.40 MYR 13.86

-29.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.34 MYR 17.69

-14.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.87 MYR 7.63

4.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.09 MYR 4.43

29.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.48 MYR 6.05

-11.49%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.24 MYR 9.12

-2.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$13.92 MYR 56.8

19.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.37 MYR 17.81

-36.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$9.48 MYR 38.67

-3.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.45 MYR 14.08

-30.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.64 MYR 6.71

-37.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.75 MYR 11.20

-40.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.82 MYR 7.40

-17.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.21 MYR 4.93

6.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$2.02 MYR 8.26

-45.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.44 MYR 5.86

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.58 MYR 2.35

-8.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.37 MYR 17.82

-1.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$18.51 MYR 75.5

-3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$2.67 MYR 10.90

-40.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$4.45 MYR 18.15

-36.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.75 MYR 3.07

14.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$16.00 MYR 65.3

233.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.24 MYR 5.05

-2.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.37 MYR 1.53

54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$7.23 MYR 29.51

-67.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.80 MYR 3.26

80.00%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$46.1K MYR 188.3K

-55.08%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$36.2K MYR 147.7K

-25.97%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$37.60 MYR 153

65.77%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$10.01 MYR 40.84

20.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$28.97 MYR 118

-31.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$40.53 MYR 165

-8.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$5.02 MYR 20.48

-24.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.41 MYR 26.17

1.40%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$196 MYR 800

304.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$4,644 MYR 18.9K

218.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$58.4 MYR 238

-7.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$39.89 MYR 163

-38.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$67.8 MYR 276

34.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$68.5 MYR 279

3.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$339 MYR 1,384

34.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$308 MYR 1,258

-3.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$569 MYR 2,322

59.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$553 MYR 2,255

0.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,519 MYR 6,197

27.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,170 MYR 4,772

23.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,244 MYR 5,076

-52.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.04

37.87%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Shah Alam

$308 32.9% 3.5% $10

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Shah Alam

$263 28.1% 11.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Shah Alam

$106 11.3% 2.4% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Shah Alam

$77 8.2% 18.8% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Shah Alam

$108 11.5% 36.9% $29

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Shah Alam

$22 2.4% 63.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Shah Alam

$53 5.7% 6.6% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $339 in Shah Alam. 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 111% higher in Shah Alam, 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 Shah Alam. 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

🇲🇾 Shah Alam

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

19:41 7:41 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

812,327

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Shah Alam 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shah Alam

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 Shah Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shah Alam costs about 1% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,405 in Shah Alam. 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 $196 in Shah Alam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Shah Alam, 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 Shah Alam at $937. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shah Alam it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $937 in Shah Alam. 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, Shah Alam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.