Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Bharu and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Bharu and Chiang Mai

🙂 Solo nomad: Kota Bharu is 4.9% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 24.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kota Bharu is 14.5% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 13.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.79 MYR 7.02

$2.03 ฿63.8

-11.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.94 MYR 82.3

$18.59 ฿585

12.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.26 MYR 16.74

$7.48 ฿235

-43.05%

Cappuccino

$2.29 MYR 9.01

$2.00 ฿62.8

14.50%

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

$0.49 MYR 1.91

$0.85 ฿26.63

-42.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 MYR 1.06

$0.35 ฿11.05

-22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.36 MYR 17.14

$2.21 ฿69.5

97.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MYR 16.71

$3.76 ฿118

13.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 MYR 5.90

$1.72 ฿54.0

-12.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 MYR 2.95

$1.63 ฿51.4

-53.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 MYR 3.24

$1.16 ฿36.42

-28.45%

Eggs

$1.47 MYR 5.80

$1.98 ฿62.2

-25.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.82 MYR 58.2

$15.93 ฿501

-6.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 MYR 11.48

$3.17 ฿99.6

-7.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.96 MYR 23.43

$10.90 ฿343

-45.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.44

$2.65 ฿83.2

-47.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.42

$1.22 ฿38.45

13.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.49

$1.70 ฿53.4

-17.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.85 MYR 3.33

$1.59 ฿49.99

-46.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 MYR 3.29

$1.32 ฿41.63

-36.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.76

$1.17 ฿36.74

3.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.72

$0.68 ฿21.31

39.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 MYR 1.70

$0.56 ฿17.52

-23.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 MYR 11.57

$4.51 ฿142

-34.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 MYR 77.5

$19.07 ฿600

3.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 MYR 5.60

$1.77 ฿55.7

-19.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 MYR 13.37

$3.18 ฿100.0

6.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MYR 2.73

$0.96 ฿30.27

-28.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.91 MYR 46.82

$18.90 ฿594

-36.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 MYR 2.84

$1.36 ฿42.69

-47.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MYR 2.13

$1.35 ฿42.51

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 MYR 14.11

$8.03 ฿253

-55.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.82

$1.24 ฿39.08

-62.90%

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

$30.5K MYR 119.8K

$21.2K ฿665.4K

43.99%

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

$27.7K MYR 108.9K

$21.8K ฿684.0K

27.36%

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

$38.69 MYR 152

$71.2 ฿2,240

-45.69%

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

$8.28 MYR 32.55

$14.09 ฿443

-41.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MYR 105

$17.47 ฿549

52.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.78 MYR 145

$42.07 ฿1,323

-12.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.06 MYR 23.83

$6.88 ฿216

-11.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.14 MYR 16.27

$5.94 ฿187

-30.30%

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

$118 MYR 463

$307 ฿9,664

-61.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,225 MYR 24.5K

$14.8K ฿465.1K

-57.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 MYR 206

$55.7 ฿1,750

-5.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.74 MYR 73.6

$26.79 ฿842

-30.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 MYR 238

$83.2 ฿2,617

-27.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 MYR 209

$70.1 ฿2,204

-24.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$261 MYR 1,024

$427 ฿13.4K

-39.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 MYR 551

$237 ฿7,454

-40.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 MYR 3,349

$802 ฿25.2K

6.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 MYR 1,889

$503 ฿15.8K

-4.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 ฿64.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,533 ฿48.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$305 MYR 1,199

$654 ฿20.6K

-53.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

-16.80%

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

Last update for Kota Bharu: February 28, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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