Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kedah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $710 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 Kedah
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Kedah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $877 per month in Kedah vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kedah $877
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,399 per month in Kedah vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kedah $1,399
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,920 per month in Kedah vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kedah $1,920
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kedah is about 6% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kedah and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kedah 36% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.13

$2.24 ฿75.6

66.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.32 MYR 50.2

$19.00 ฿641

-35.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.57

$5.55 ฿187

-17.84%

Cappuccino

$2.91 MYR 11.86

$1.67 ฿56.5

74.25%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.14

$0.64 ฿21.53

20.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.59

$0.31 ฿10.30

25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.24

$2.36 ฿79.5

79.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MYR 17.73

$3.66 ฿124

19.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.65

$1.95 ฿65.7

-3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.31

$1.44 ฿48.45

-26.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 6.98

$1.33 ฿45.01

29.32%

Eggs

$2.19 MYR 8.90

$2.28 ฿77.0

-3.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 MYR 55.1

$16.45 ฿555

-17.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.68

$2.78 ฿93.8

56.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 MYR 35.99

$9.31 ฿314

-5.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 11.97

$2.35 ฿79.4

25.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.65

$0.97 ฿32.78

68.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.19

$1.60 ฿53.9

71.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.92

$1.50 ฿50.6

-3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MYR 4.48

$1.28 ฿43.10

-14.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.43

$1.10 ฿37.17

-0.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.61

$0.71 ฿23.81

59.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$0.49 ฿16.36

16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.62 MYR 18.81

$4.14 ฿140

11.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.76 MYR 76.4

$17.52 ฿591

7.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.14

$1.61 ฿54.5

85.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 MYR 21.70

$2.78 ฿93.9

91.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.10

$0.87 ฿29.29

-12.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.85 MYR 52.3

$54.1 ฿1,825

-76.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.75

$1.16 ฿39.03

43.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.54

$0.53 ฿17.79

-28.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 MYR 29.67

$2.42 ฿81.7

201.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 MYR 2.46

$1.45 ฿48.87

-58.62%

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

$45.6K MYR 185.8K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

116.70%

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

$35.8K MYR 145.9K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

33.05%

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

$36.47 MYR 148

$62.2 ฿2,097

-41.34%

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

$9.66 MYR 39.31

$12.17 ฿410

-20.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 MYR 120

$20.12 ฿679

46.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 MYR 141

$37.31 ฿1,259

-7.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.85 MYR 27.89

$3.77 ฿127

81.70%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.51

$6.49 ฿219

-26.19%

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

$388 MYR 1,578

$736 ฿24.8K

-47.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.4K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-27.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 240

$53.4 ฿1,800

10.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.76 MYR 141

$24.64 ฿831

41.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 332

$91.5 ฿3,086

-10.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 MYR 288

$71.9 ฿2,426

-1.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,456

$482 ฿16.3K

-25.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 MYR 1,050

$309 ฿10.4K

-16.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 MYR 2,899

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-29.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 MYR 2,469

$633 ฿21.4K

-4.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MYR 7,857

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-18.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,258 MYR 5,119

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-20.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,339 MYR 5,451

$590 ฿19.9K

127.08%

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 Kedah: 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

Kedah

$258 29.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 19.8% $51

Groceries & Markets

Kedah

$257 29.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 8.7% $22

Eating Out

Kedah

$113 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 31.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Kedah

$111 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 1.8% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kedah

$76 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 24.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Kedah

$44 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 13.7% $6.1

Getting Around

Kedah

$19 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 216% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $358 in Kedah 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 in Kedah are about 2.3 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Kedah versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Kedah vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kedah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:37 1:37 AM

00:37 12:37 AM

1 h behind Kedah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

417,800

127,240

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kedah Chiang Mai 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kedah
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Kedah, 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 $1,316 per month in Kedah 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 Kedah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $358 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $388 per month in Kedah 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 9% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $877 in Kedah and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kedah – 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.