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

😐 Solo nomad: Kota Kinabalu is 6.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 0.1% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 18.8% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 0.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 MYR 14.42

$1.97 ฿62.0

80.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.72 MYR 76.0

$18.68 ฿587

0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.62 MYR 18.78

$7.92 ฿249

-41.67%

Cappuccino

$2.60 MYR 10.55

$2.02 ฿63.7

28.71%

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

$0.64 MYR 2.58

$0.84 ฿26.45

-23.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.61

$0.35 ฿11.07

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MYR 9.72

$2.22 ฿69.9

8.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 MYR 13.95

$3.59 ฿113

-4.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 MYR 6.85

$1.67 ฿52.4

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$1.62 ฿51.1

-25.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.83

$1.20 ฿37.83

40.00%

Eggs

$2.92 MYR 11.84

$1.93 ฿60.8

51.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.22 MYR 106

$16.00 ฿503

63.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.57 MYR 14.51

$3.16 ฿99.2

12.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.21 MYR 29.29

$10.93 ฿344

-34.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 MYR 10.26

$2.67 ฿83.8

-5.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.72

$1.18 ฿36.99

-1.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 MYR 12.81

$1.64 ฿51.5

92.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.19

$1.59 ฿49.83

27.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.12

$1.32 ฿41.64

14.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 6.97

$1.19 ฿37.49

44.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MYR 4.35

$0.71 ฿22.20

50.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.93

$0.56 ฿17.75

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 MYR 16.66

$4.64 ฿146

-11.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.44 MYR 78.9

$18.96 ฿596

2.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 MYR 7.56

$1.77 ฿55.7

5.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 MYR 6.59

$3.20 ฿101

-49.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 MYR 6.39

$0.90 ฿28.32

74.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.90 MYR 166

$19.24 ฿605

112.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 MYR 7.54

$1.36 ฿42.78

36.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 MYR 1.78

$1.35 ฿42.37

-67.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 MYR 23.48

$8.15 ฿256

-29.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.89

$1.22 ฿38.43

-61.48%

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

$29.6K MYR 120.3K

$21.4K ฿671.8K

38.65%

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

$27.3K MYR 110.8K

$21.7K ฿683.8K

25.46%

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

$52.5 MYR 213

$70.3 ฿2,210

-25.32%

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

$9.04 MYR 36.70

$13.91 ฿437

-35.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.02 MYR 134

$18.00 ฿566

83.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.82 MYR 174

$41.78 ฿1,314

2.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.99 MYR 12.14

$6.80 ฿214

-56.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MYR 19.42

$5.72 ฿180

-16.43%

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

$129 MYR 522

$308 ฿9,693

-58.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,463 MYR 18.1K

$14.8K ฿465.7K

-69.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 MYR 242

$55.9 ฿1,756

6.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.57 MYR 91.6

$26.71 ฿840

-15.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 MYR 291

$84.5 ฿2,658

-15.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.7 MYR 385

$70.8 ฿2,227

33.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 MYR 1,526

$431 ฿13.5K

-12.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 MYR 669

$237 ฿7,439

-30.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 MYR 2,653

$811 ฿25.5K

-19.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 MYR 1,509

$501 ฿15.7K

-25.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,848 MYR 7,502

$2,202 ฿69.2K

-16.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,092 MYR 4,434

$1,600 ฿50.3K

-31.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$580 MYR 2,356

$684 ฿21.5K

-15.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

-24.00%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: January 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 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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