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 1.8% cheaper than Shah Alam without rent, and 0.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 0.6% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 4.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.01 ฿64.4

$3.10 MYR 12.23

-35.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.23 ฿583

$19.22 MYR 75.9

-5.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 ฿244

$4.12 MYR 16.27

85.68%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ฿61.3

$2.69 MYR 10.64

-28.62%

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

$0.84 ฿26.90

$0.73 MYR 2.90

15.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿11.39

$0.36 MYR 1.43

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 ฿70.0

$3.56 MYR 14.06

-38.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 ฿121

$4.30 MYR 16.98

-11.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿52.4

$1.83 MYR 7.22

-10.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.8

$0.97 MYR 3.81

67.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 ฿36.88

$1.49 MYR 5.90

-22.82%

Eggs

$1.94 ฿62.0

$2.15 MYR 8.50

-9.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 ฿510

$13.93 MYR 55.0

14.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ฿99.2

$5.08 MYR 20.05

-38.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 ฿354

$8.30 MYR 32.78

33.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 ฿86.5

$2.92 MYR 11.52

-7.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿37.69

$1.46 MYR 5.79

-19.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ฿54.5

$2.56 MYR 10.12

-33.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.3

$1.24 MYR 4.91

29.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 ฿44.53

$1.19 MYR 4.68

16.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ฿36.70

$1.34 MYR 5.31

-14.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.76

$0.97 MYR 3.84

-26.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿17.60

$0.52 MYR 2.05

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 ฿146

$4.24 MYR 16.75

7.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.87 ฿603

$19.00 MYR 75.0

-0.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿58.2

$2.60 MYR 10.26

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ฿103

$3.97 MYR 15.69

-19.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿28.16

$0.69 MYR 2.72

27.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.89 ฿604

$15.02 MYR 59.3

25.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ฿45.17

$0.95 MYR 3.76

48.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 ฿41.59

$0.55 MYR 2.16

136.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 ฿262

$6.99 MYR 27.63

17.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ฿39.18

$0.50 MYR 1.96

146.00%

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

$21.2K ฿677.0K

$34.0K MYR 134.3K

-37.73%

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

$22.3K ฿713.3K

$27.4K MYR 108.4K

-18.69%

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

$69.9 ฿2,234

$41.42 MYR 164

68.69%

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

$14.07 ฿450

$10.06 MYR 39.73

39.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.70 ฿566

$29.86 MYR 118

-40.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.41 ฿1,324

$38.36 MYR 152

7.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.69 ฿214

$5.82 MYR 23.00

14.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.74 ฿184

$6.19 MYR 24.43

-7.27%

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

$299 ฿9,566

$214 MYR 844

39.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ฿479.8K

$6,149 MYR 24.3K

144.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,753

$48.45 MYR 191

13.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.35 ฿842

$34.94 MYR 138

-24.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 ฿2,706

$62.3 MYR 246

35.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 ฿2,229

$48.82 MYR 193

42.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ฿13.6K

$358 MYR 1,415

19.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ฿7,697

$263 MYR 1,038

-8.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.9K

$575 MYR 2,269

41.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿15.9K

$473 MYR 1,870

5.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,022 ฿64.7K

$1,530 MYR 6,044

32.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,524 ฿48.7K

$1,229 MYR 4,856

23.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$639 ฿20.4K

$1,254 MYR 4,954

-49.04%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: April 11, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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