Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 15.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 23.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 16.8% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 19.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.57 MYR 18.00

$2.03 ฿64.3

125.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.75 MYR 113

$18.59 ฿590

54.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 MYR 18.17

$7.48 ฿237

-38.37%

Cappuccino

$3.11 MYR 12.26

$2.00 ฿63.3

55.50%

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

$0.92 MYR 3.61

$0.85 ฿26.87

8.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.07

$0.35 ฿11.15

48.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.15 MYR 16.35

$2.21 ฿70.2

87.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 MYR 22.78

$3.76 ฿119

53.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MYR 7.84

$1.72 ฿54.5

15.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 3.94

$1.63 ฿51.8

-38.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 6.81

$1.16 ฿36.75

49.14%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.55

$1.98 ฿62.8

9.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 58.5

$15.93 ฿505

-6.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 17.98

$3.17 ฿100

43.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 MYR 39.20

$10.90 ฿346

-8.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 11.61

$2.65 ฿83.9

11.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.42

$1.22 ฿38.79

33.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.22

$1.70 ฿53.8

52.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.04

$1.59 ฿50.4

-3.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 4.87

$1.32 ฿42.00

-6.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.50

$1.17 ฿37.07

19.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MYR 4.55

$0.68 ฿21.50

69.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MYR 2.44

$0.56 ฿17.68

10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 MYR 16.28

$4.51 ฿143

-8.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.75 MYR 73.9

$19.07 ฿605

-1.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 MYR 12.84

$1.77 ฿56.2

84.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.26

$3.18 ฿101

37.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 2.93

$0.96 ฿30.54

-22.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.98 MYR 47.19

$18.90 ฿599

-36.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.70

$1.36 ฿43.07

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.36

$1.35 ฿42.89

-17.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 MYR 18.51

$8.03 ฿255

-41.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.87

$1.24 ฿39.43

-62.10%

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

$40.2K MYR 158.2K

$21.2K ฿671.3K

89.76%

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

$32.1K MYR 126.4K

$21.8K ฿690.1K

47.46%

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

$63.4 MYR 250

$71.2 ฿2,260

-11.05%

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

$11.31 MYR 44.55

$14.09 ฿447

-19.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.29 MYR 99.7

$17.47 ฿554

44.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.73 MYR 184

$42.07 ฿1,335

11.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.78 MYR 30.66

$6.88 ฿218

13.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 MYR 21.05

$5.94 ฿188

-10.10%

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

$264 MYR 1,038

$307 ฿9,750

-14.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,254 MYR 36.5K

$14.8K ฿469.3K

-37.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 235

$55.7 ฿1,766

7.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.87 MYR 145

$26.79 ฿850

37.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 MYR 345

$83.2 ฿2,640

5.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 MYR 319

$70.1 ฿2,224

15.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 MYR 2,221

$427 ฿13.6K

31.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,449

$237 ฿7,521

55.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 MYR 4,295

$802 ฿25.4K

35.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 MYR 2,519

$503 ฿16.0K

27.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,036 MYR 15.9K

$2,061 ฿65.4K

95.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 MYR 6,058

$1,533 ฿48.6K

0.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,597 MYR 6,293

$654 ฿20.7K

144.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

-10.60%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: March 1, 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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