Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tawau

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Tawau: $936 and $932 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $932 in Tawau, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Tawau $932

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,391 in Tawau, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Tawau $1,391

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,851 in Tawau, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Tawau $1,851

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.24 MYR 13.22

-30.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$19.61 MYR 79.9

-3.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.20 MYR 17.13

32.14%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.06 MYR 12.46

-45.42%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.94 MYR 3.81

-31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.36 MYR 1.45

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.71 MYR 11.04

-12.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.58 MYR 18.68

-20.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.79 MYR 7.28

8.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.03 MYR 4.20

39.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.43 MYR 5.82

-6.99%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.24 MYR 9.15

1.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.71 MYR 47.71

40.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.38 MYR 17.86

-36.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.45 MYR 38.50

-1.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.10 MYR 12.63

-24.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.53 MYR 6.25

-36.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.54 MYR 10.36

-37.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.36 MYR 5.53

10.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.41 MYR 5.75

-9.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.46 MYR 5.93

-24.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.13 MYR 4.60

-37.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.52 MYR 2.10

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.44 MYR 18.09

-6.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$19.05 MYR 77.6

-8.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.03 MYR 12.33

-46.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.60 MYR 18.73

-39.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.69 MYR 2.83

26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$11.10 MYR 45.21

387.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.20 MYR 4.89

-3.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.54 MYR 2.19

-1.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.62 MYR 31.05

-68.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.78 MYR 3.17

85.90%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$51.4K MYR 209.3K

-59.01%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$34.9K MYR 142.0K

-22.71%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$50.5 MYR 206

23.08%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.55 MYR 42.97

15.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$28.09 MYR 114

-28.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$43.09 MYR 176

-13.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.77 MYR 27.60

-44.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.71 MYR 15.12

74.93%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$240 MYR 979

206.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,864 MYR 32.0K

87.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$55.7 MYR 227

-4.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$35.86 MYR 146

-31.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$75.4 MYR 307

21.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$68.2 MYR 278

5.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$460 MYR 1,875

4.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$315 MYR 1,284

-1.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$780 MYR 3,178

28.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$519 MYR 2,115

22.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,240 MYR 9,125

5.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,307 MYR 5,325

21.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$424 MYR 1,727

39.12%

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 Tawau: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Tawau

$315 33.8% 2% $6.3

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Tawau

$250 26.9% 6.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Tawau

$106 11.4% 2.6% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Tawau

$89 9.6% 5.6% $5.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Tawau

$103 11.1% 32.9% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tawau

$18 1.9% 71.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Tawau

$51 5.4% 0.5% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $460 in Tawau. 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 39% 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 Tawau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $250 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇾 Tawau

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

420,806

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Tawau 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tawau

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 Tawau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,398 in Tawau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $460 in Tawau. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

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

Public transport costs about 79% less in Tawau. 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 $932 in Tawau. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Tawau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Tawau. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.