Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town, Malaysia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in George Town and in Chiang Mai: $952 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$952

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in George Town and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in George Town and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $952 per month in George Town vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

George Town $952
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,558 per month in George Town vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

George Town $1,558
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,164 per month in George Town vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

George Town $2,164
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

Both George Town and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – George Town 30% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 MYR 14.02

$2.24 ฿75.6

54.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.45 MYR 62.7

$19.00 ฿641

-18.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 MYR 18.98

$5.55 ฿187

-15.68%

Cappuccino

$2.75 MYR 11.16

$1.67 ฿56.5

64.67%

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

$0.70 MYR 2.85

$0.64 ฿21.54

9.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 MYR 1.42

$0.31 ฿10.31

12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 MYR 10.04

$2.36 ฿79.5

4.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MYR 17.95

$3.66 ฿124

20.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 MYR 7.59

$1.95 ฿65.7

-4.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.26

$1.44 ฿48.46

-27.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.02

$1.33 ฿45.03

30.08%

Eggs

$2.22 MYR 9.00

$2.28 ฿77.1

-2.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 MYR 55.4

$16.45 ฿555

-17.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MYR 18.16

$2.78 ฿93.9

61.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 MYR 35.28

$9.31 ฿314

-6.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.48

$2.35 ฿79.4

-0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.91

$0.97 ฿32.79

50.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MYR 9.01

$1.60 ฿53.9

38.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$1.50 ฿50.6

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 MYR 3.72

$1.28 ฿43.11

-28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MYR 3.46

$1.10 ฿37.18

-22.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 MYR 3.02

$0.71 ฿23.82

4.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MYR 2.38

$0.49 ฿16.36

20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.58 MYR 18.56

$4.14 ฿140

10.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.84 MYR 76.4

$17.52 ฿591

7.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 MYR 9.78

$1.61 ฿54.5

49.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 MYR 14.46

$2.78 ฿93.9

28.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.87 ฿29.30

-45.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.01 MYR 48.74

$54.1 ฿1,825

-77.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MYR 5.00

$1.16 ฿39.04

6.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.05

$0.53 ฿17.80

-3.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.53 MYR 26.51

$2.42 ฿81.7

169.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.34

$1.45 ฿48.88

-43.45%

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

$45.5K MYR 184.8K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

116.28%

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

$34.6K MYR 140.5K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

28.53%

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

$36.85 MYR 149

$62.2 ฿2,098

-40.73%

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

$8.05 MYR 32.65

$12.17 ฿411

-33.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.38 MYR 115

$20.12 ฿679

41.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 MYR 164

$37.31 ฿1,259

8.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.03 MYR 20.40

$3.77 ฿127

33.42%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 MYR 18.32

$6.49 ฿219

-30.35%

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

$168 MYR 684

$736 ฿24.8K

-77.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,958 MYR 20.1K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-66.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MYR 216

$53.4 ฿1,801

-0.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.86 MYR 141

$24.64 ฿831

41.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 MYR 298

$91.5 ฿3,087

-19.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 MYR 287

$71.9 ฿2,427

-1.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 MYR 2,876

$482 ฿16.3K

46.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 MYR 1,486

$309 ฿10.4K

18.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 MYR 4,478

$1,006 ฿33.9K

9.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 MYR 3,669

$633 ฿21.4K

42.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,057 MYR 4,288

$590 ฿19.9K

79.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

5.57

-27.47%

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

Last update for George Town: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

George Town

$366 38.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 15.7% $57

Groceries & Markets

George Town

$241 25.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 2.8% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

George Town

$105 11%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 3.9% $4.1

Eating Out

George Town

$100 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 22.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George Town

$73 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 28.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

George Town

$49 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 1.8% $0.9

Getting Around

George Town

$18 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 247% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $709 in George Town versus $482 in Chiang Mai. 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 79% higher in George Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15 in George Town versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $241 in George Town vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 George Town

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

04:36 4:36 AM

1 h behind George Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

794,313

127,240

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

George Town Chiang Mai 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

George Town
Chiang Mai

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

George Town vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,429 per month in George Town and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. 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 $709 in George Town.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15 in George Town and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 78% less in George Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $952 in George Town and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $952 in George Town. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, George Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.