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% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 23.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 15.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 15.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 MYR 19.31

$2.02 ฿65.3

126.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.83 MYR 122

$18.78 ฿608

53.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 20.13

$7.67 ฿248

-37.81%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 12.48

$1.98 ฿64.2

49.49%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.58

$0.82 ฿26.64

3.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.5 MYR 2.11

$0.33 ฿10.58

51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.82

$2.12 ฿68.6

99.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 MYR 25.11

$3.73 ฿121

59.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 MYR 8.78

$1.64 ฿53.2

26.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1 MYR 4.22

$1.57 ฿50.9

-36.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.92

$1.19 ฿38.62

37.82%

Eggs

$2.29 MYR 9.64

$1.98 ฿64.1

15.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 62.6

$15.99 ฿517

-7.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.52 MYR 19.05

$3.12 ฿101

44.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 MYR 40.1

$11.16 ฿361

-14.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 12.46

$2.76 ฿89.2

6.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MYR 6.85

$1.22 ฿39.5

32.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.7 MYR 11.37

$1.71 ฿55.4

57.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.38

$1.55 ฿50.2

-2.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.11

$1.34 ฿43.21

-9.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.4 MYR 5.92

$1.21 ฿39.23

15.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 MYR 5.09

$0.72 ฿23.2

68.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 MYR 2.87

$0.53 ฿17.05

28.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MYR 17.68

$4.72 ฿153

-11.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.11 MYR 76.4

$18.39 ฿595

-1.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.33 MYR 14.06

$1.79 ฿57.9

86.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 18.5

$3.21 ฿104

36.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 3.06

$0.94 ฿30.44

-23.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.74 MYR 49.49

$18.9 ฿612

-37.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 5.11

$1.42 ฿46.08

-14.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MYR 4.78

$1.35 ฿43.53

-16.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 MYR 19.35

$7.85 ฿254

-41.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 2.01

$1.25 ฿40.4

-61.60%

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

$40K MYR 168.8K

$21.2K ฿684.9K

89.18%

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

$33K MYR 139.2K

$21.8K ฿706.8K

51.07%

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

$64.8 MYR 273

$70.6 ฿2,285

-8.24%

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

$11.7 MYR 49.34

$13.72 ฿444

-14.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.5 MYR 108

$17.56 ฿568

45.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 MYR 194

$41.64 ฿1,347

10.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.76 MYR 32.73

$6.9 ฿223

12.46%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MYR 22.03

$5.8 ฿188

-9.83%

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

$266 MYR 1,122

$308 ฿9,963

-13.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,267 MYR 39.1K

$14.7K ฿475.8K

-36.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 MYR 259

$55.4 ฿1,793

11.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.04 MYR 160

$26.4 ฿854

44.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 MYR 364

$85.1 ฿2,755

1.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 MYR 336

$71.8 ฿2,323

10.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,437

$434 ฿14K

33.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 MYR 1,566

$235 ฿7,610

57.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 MYR 4,472

$821 ฿26.6K

29.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 MYR 2,649

$498 ฿16.1K

26.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,071 MYR 12.9K

$2,180 ฿70.6K

40.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,532 MYR 6,459

$1,543 ฿49.9K

-0.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,342 MYR 5,659

$703 ฿22.8K

90.77%

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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

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