Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gombak and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Gombak: $904 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $380 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Gombak
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Gombak Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Gombak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$904

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gombak 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 Gombak and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $904 per month in Gombak vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gombak $904
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,437 per month in Gombak vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gombak $1,437
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,970 per month in Gombak vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gombak $1,970
Chiang Mai $1,979

Gombak is about 3% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Gombak and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Gombak 34% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.60 MYR 14.65

$2.24 ฿75.6

60.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.44 MYR 99.5

$19.00 ฿641

28.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 MYR 20.45

$5.55 ฿187

-9.55%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 12.06

$1.67 ฿56.5

77.25%

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

$0.91 MYR 3.72

$0.64 ฿21.53

42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.31 ฿10.30

45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.34

$2.36 ฿79.5

38.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 MYR 23.45

$3.66 ฿124

57.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MYR 7.83

$1.95 ฿65.7

-1.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.36

$1.44 ฿48.45

-25.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 6.00

$1.33 ฿45.01

10.53%

Eggs

$1.76 MYR 7.18

$2.28 ฿77.0

-22.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 MYR 40.19

$16.45 ฿555

-40.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 MYR 13.65

$2.78 ฿93.8

20.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.68 MYR 39.42

$9.31 ฿314

3.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 MYR 13.82

$2.35 ฿79.4

44.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 MYR 7.65

$0.97 ฿32.78

93.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 MYR 10.72

$1.60 ฿53.9

64.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 MYR 7.35

$1.50 ฿50.6

20.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 MYR 8.48

$1.28 ฿43.10

62.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 MYR 7.98

$1.10 ฿37.17

78.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MYR 5.84

$0.71 ฿23.81

102.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.11

$0.49 ฿16.36

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MYR 18.24

$4.14 ฿140

8.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 MYR 81.1

$17.52 ฿591

13.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 MYR 10.90

$1.61 ฿54.5

66.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 MYR 18.07

$2.78 ฿93.9

59.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 MYR 3.35

$0.87 ฿29.29

-5.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.38 MYR 50.4

$54.1 ฿1,825

-77.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.88

$1.16 ฿39.03

3.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 MYR 1.45

$0.53 ฿17.79

-32.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.10 MYR 37.02

$2.42 ฿81.7

276.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.55

$1.45 ฿48.87

-40.00%

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

$46.0K MYR 187.3K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

118.49%

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

$35.1K MYR 142.9K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

30.33%

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

$50.0 MYR 204

$62.2 ฿2,097

-19.58%

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

$8.39 MYR 34.17

$12.17 ฿410

-31.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 MYR 107

$20.12 ฿679

31.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.05 MYR 151

$37.31 ฿1,259

-0.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.93 MYR 24.15

$3.77 ฿127

57.29%

Cinema Ticket

$3.11 MYR 12.68

$6.49 ฿219

-52.08%

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

$282 MYR 1,149

$736 ฿24.8K

-61.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K MYR 43.0K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-28.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 MYR 211

$53.4 ฿1,800

-3.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.84 MYR 121

$24.64 ฿831

21.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 MYR 310

$91.5 ฿3,086

-16.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.2 MYR 343

$71.9 ฿2,426

17.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 MYR 1,671

$482 ฿16.3K

-14.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$285 MYR 1,162

$309 ฿10.4K

-7.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 MYR 2,981

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-27.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 MYR 2,473

$633 ฿21.4K

-4.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,943 MYR 7,910

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-17.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,168 MYR 4,755

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-26.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$542 MYR 2,206

$590 ฿19.9K

-8.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

5.57

-19.03%

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

Last update for Gombak: 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

Gombak

$285 31.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 8.2% $24

Groceries & Markets

Gombak

$250 27.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 6.4% $16

Eating Out

Gombak

$113 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 31.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Gombak

$109 12%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 0.2% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gombak

$85 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 11.4% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Gombak

$43 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 16.2% $7

Getting Around

Gombak

$19 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 229% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $411 in Gombak 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 9% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Gombak versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Gombak

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

04:04 4:04 AM

1 h behind Gombak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,699

127,240

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gombak Chiang Mai 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Gombak
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

Gombak vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 3% more than Gombak, 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 $1,356 per month in Gombak 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 Gombak, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $411 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $282 per month in Gombak and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $904 in Gombak and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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