Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kajang, Selangor and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Kajang, Selangor and in Chiang Mai: $925 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kajang, Selangor
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Kajang, Selangor Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kajang, Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$925

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Kajang, Selangor vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kajang, Selangor $925
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,410 per month in Kajang, Selangor vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kajang, Selangor $1,410
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,895 per month in Kajang, Selangor vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kajang, Selangor $1,895
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kajang, Selangor and Chiang Mai have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 MYR 15.29

$2.24 ฿75.6

68.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.15 MYR 73.6

$19.00 ฿641

-4.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 MYR 19.60

$5.55 ฿187

-12.97%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.58

$1.67 ฿56.5

71.26%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.19

$0.64 ฿21.54

23.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 MYR 1.85

$0.31 ฿10.31

48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 MYR 18.17

$2.36 ฿79.5

89.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 MYR 25.02

$3.66 ฿124

68.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 MYR 6.86

$1.95 ฿65.7

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.33

$1.44 ฿48.46

-25.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.09

$1.33 ฿45.03

12.78%

Eggs

$1.65 MYR 6.70

$2.28 ฿77.1

-27.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.37 MYR 74.5

$16.45 ฿555

11.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.05

$2.78 ฿93.9

60.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.06 MYR 40.80

$9.31 ฿314

8.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 MYR 13.91

$2.35 ฿79.4

45.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.84

$0.97 ฿32.79

74.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 MYR 9.38

$1.60 ฿53.9

44.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.13

$1.50 ฿50.6

0.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 4.99

$1.28 ฿43.11

-3.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.82

$1.10 ฿37.18

52.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.75

$0.71 ฿23.82

64.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.23

$0.49 ฿16.36

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.42

$4.14 ฿140

3.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 MYR 56.9

$17.52 ฿591

-19.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.14

$1.61 ฿54.5

85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 MYR 12.23

$2.78 ฿93.9

8.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.04

$0.87 ฿29.30

-13.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.39 MYR 50.3

$54.1 ฿1,825

-77.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.08

$1.16 ฿39.04

7.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$0.53 ฿17.80

41.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 MYR 20.34

$2.42 ฿81.7

107.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.29

$1.45 ฿48.88

-44.14%

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

$43.4K MYR 176.2K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

106.27%

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

$35.4K MYR 143.8K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

31.53%

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

$53.0 MYR 215

$62.2 ฿2,098

-14.81%

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

$9.61 MYR 38.99

$12.17 ฿411

-21.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.69 MYR 104

$20.12 ฿679

27.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 MYR 171

$37.31 ฿1,259

12.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.38 MYR 29.92

$3.77 ฿127

95.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 MYR 19.91

$6.49 ฿219

-24.35%

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

$234 MYR 951

$736 ฿24.8K

-68.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,442 MYR 18.0K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-69.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 MYR 218

$53.4 ฿1,801

0.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.39 MYR 66.5

$24.64 ฿831

-33.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 MYR 330

$91.5 ฿3,087

-11.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 MYR 397

$71.9 ฿2,427

36.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,454

$482 ฿16.3K

-25.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 MYR 1,112

$309 ฿10.4K

-11.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 MYR 2,951

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-27.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 MYR 1,993

$633 ฿21.4K

-22.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,045 MYR 8,297

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-13.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 MYR 4,285

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-33.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Kajang, Selangor: 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

Kajang, Selangor

$274 29.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 12.7% $35

Groceries & Markets

Kajang, Selangor

$259 28%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 9.6% $25

Eating Out

Kajang, Selangor

$119 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 34.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Kajang, Selangor

$112 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 3.2% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kajang, Selangor

$88 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 7% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Kajang, Selangor

$52 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 3% $1.6

Getting Around

Kajang, Selangor

$20 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 201% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $358 in Kajang, Selangor 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Kajang, Selangor versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Kajang, Selangor vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kajang, Selangor

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

1 h behind Kajang, Selangor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,047,356

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kajang, Selangor Chiang Mai 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kajang, Selangor
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

Kajang, Selangor vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,387 per month in Kajang, Selangor 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 Kajang, Selangor, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $358 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Kajang, Selangor 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 77% less in Kajang, Selangor. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $925 in Kajang, Selangor and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kajang, Selangor – 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.