Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johor Bahru and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,080 in Johor Bahru, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
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Johor Bahru Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,080

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,080 per month in Johor Bahru vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Johor Bahru $1,080
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,611 per month in Johor Bahru vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Johor Bahru $1,611
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,141 per month in Johor Bahru vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Johor Bahru $2,141
Chiang Mai $1,979

Johor Bahru costs about 15% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Johor Bahru and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Johor Bahru 21% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.46

$2.24 ฿75.6

59.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.54 MYR 75.2

$19.00 ฿641

-2.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 MYR 20.39

$5.55 ฿187

-9.37%

Cappuccino

$3.00 MYR 12.15

$1.67 ฿56.5

79.64%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.44

$0.64 ฿21.55

32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.29

$0.31 ฿10.31

80.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 MYR 18.41

$2.36 ฿79.6

92.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 MYR 25.40

$3.66 ฿124

71.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MYR 6.89

$1.95 ฿65.8

-12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.26

$1.44 ฿48.48

-27.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.75

$1.33 ฿45.04

6.77%

Eggs

$1.73 MYR 7.00

$2.28 ฿77.1

-24.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 MYR 73.9

$16.45 ฿555

10.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.57 MYR 18.52

$2.78 ฿93.9

64.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.51 MYR 42.59

$9.31 ฿314

12.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.32

$2.35 ฿79.4

39.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 MYR 7.06

$0.97 ฿32.80

79.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 MYR 15.86

$1.60 ฿53.9

144.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.65

$1.50 ฿50.6

9.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.70

$1.28 ฿43.12

10.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.67

$1.10 ฿37.19

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MYR 5.54

$0.71 ฿23.82

92.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.25

$0.49 ฿16.37

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MYR 16.98

$4.14 ฿140

1.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 MYR 57.6

$17.52 ฿591

-18.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 MYR 11.85

$1.61 ฿54.5

81.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MYR 12.27

$2.78 ฿94.0

8.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.82

$0.87 ฿29.31

-19.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.36 MYR 50.1

$54.1 ฿1,826

-77.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 MYR 3.82

$1.16 ฿39.06

-18.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$0.53 ฿17.80

41.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 MYR 40.34

$2.42 ฿81.8

311.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 MYR 3.35

$1.45 ฿48.90

-42.76%

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

$43.9K MYR 177.9K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

108.34%

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

$35.7K MYR 144.8K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

32.62%

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

$52.7 MYR 214

$62.2 ฿2,098

-15.28%

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

$11.01 MYR 44.64

$12.17 ฿411

-9.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.28 MYR 115

$20.12 ฿679

40.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.28 MYR 167

$37.31 ฿1,259

10.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.80 MYR 23.50

$3.77 ฿127

53.85%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 19.51

$6.49 ฿219

-25.89%

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

$239 MYR 970

$736 ฿24.8K

-67.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,518 MYR 18.3K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-69.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 MYR 221

$53.4 ฿1,801

2.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.53 MYR 67.0

$24.64 ฿831

-32.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 MYR 330

$91.5 ฿3,087

-11.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.3 MYR 398

$71.9 ฿2,428

36.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 MYR 2,121

$482 ฿16.3K

8.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 MYR 1,685

$309 ฿10.4K

34.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 MYR 3,984

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-2.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 MYR 2,867

$633 ฿21.4K

11.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,002 MYR 8,114

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-15.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,214 MYR 4,920

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-23.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,076 MYR 4,361

$590 ฿19.9K

82.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.57

-27.11%

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

Last update for Johor Bahru: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johor Bahru

$416 38.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 25.7% $107

Groceries & Markets

Johor Bahru

$269 24.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12.7% $34

Eating Out

Johor Bahru

$120 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 35.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Johor Bahru

$113 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 3.7% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johor Bahru

$92 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 2.7% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Johor Bahru

$51 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 1.2% $0.6

Getting Around

Johor Bahru

$20 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 209% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $523 in Johor Bahru 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 82% higher in Johor Bahru. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Johor Bahru versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Johor Bahru vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:38 6:38 PM

17:38 5:38 PM

1 h behind Johor Bahru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

858,118

127,240

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Johor Bahru Chiang Mai 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Johor Bahru
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

Johor Bahru vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johor Bahru costs about 15% 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 $1,620 per month in Johor Bahru and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $523 in Johor Bahru and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 77% less in Johor Bahru. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Johor Bahru, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,080 in Johor Bahru 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 $1,080 in Johor Bahru. 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, Johor Bahru makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.