Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Subang Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,288 in Subang Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Subang Jaya
Learn more

Subang Jaya Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Subang Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Subang Jaya

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,288 in Subang Jaya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Subang Jaya $1,288

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,775 in Subang Jaya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Subang Jaya $1,775

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,262 in Subang Jaya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Subang Jaya $2,262

Chiang Mai is about 27% cheaper than Subang Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Subang Jaya are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Subang Jaya 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.63 MYR 14.81

-38.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$19.42 MYR 79.2

-2.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.60 MYR 18.75

20.65%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.92 MYR 11.90

-42.81%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.72 MYR 2.94

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.37 MYR 1.50

-16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$4.06 MYR 16.56

-41.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.43 MYR 18.05

-17.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.80 MYR 7.32

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.06 MYR 4.32

35.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.77 MYR 7.19

-24.86%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.25 MYR 9.19

1.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$13.84 MYR 56.4

18.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.42 MYR 18.01

-37.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.78 MYR 35.79

6.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.08 MYR 12.53

-23.70%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.83 MYR 7.45

-46.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.21 MYR 9.02

-27.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.45 MYR 5.93

3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.07 MYR 4.35

19.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.08 MYR 4.42

1.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.09 MYR 4.44

-34.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.54 MYR 2.18

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.38 MYR 17.84

-5.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$18.79 MYR 76.6

-6.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.99 MYR 12.16

-46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.87 MYR 19.84

-42.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.25 MYR 1.02

248.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$24.29 MYR 99.0

122.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.24 MYR 5.06

-6.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.40 MYR 1.64

32.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.93 MYR 20.10

-50.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.87 MYR 3.56

66.67%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$44.0K MYR 179.5K

-52.19%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$35.0K MYR 142.8K

-23.13%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$37.37 MYR 152

66.36%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.06 MYR 40.99

20.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$28.58 MYR 116

-29.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$31.43 MYR 128

18.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$2.51 MYR 10.23

50.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.87 MYR 19.83

33.26%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$396 MYR 1,615

85.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$10.8K MYR 44.1K

36.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$59.2 MYR 241

-9.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$35.42 MYR 144

-30.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$84.0 MYR 342

8.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$71.0 MYR 289

1.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$851 MYR 3,469

-43.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$663 MYR 2,701

-53.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,068 MYR 4,350

-5.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$906 MYR 3,693

-30.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,344 MYR 9,551

0.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,876 MYR 7,643

-15.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$933 MYR 3,800

-36.76%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Subang Jaya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Subang Jaya

$663 51.5% 115% $354

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Subang Jaya

$255 19.8% 9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Subang Jaya

$112 8.7% 3.4% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Subang Jaya

$76 5.9% 19.5% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Subang Jaya

$111 8.7% 43.7% $34

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Subang Jaya

$29 2.2% 53.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Subang Jaya

$41 3.2% 18.1% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $851 in Subang Jaya. 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 58% higher in Subang Jaya. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $19 in Subang Jaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $255 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇾 Subang Jaya

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

03:05 3:05 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

902,086

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Subang Jaya 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Subang Jaya

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 Subang Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Subang Jaya costs about 38% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,932 in Subang Jaya. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $851 in Subang Jaya.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Subang Jaya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Subang Jaya, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,288 in Subang Jaya. 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 $1,288 in Subang Jaya. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Subang Jaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.