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 15.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 23.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 13.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 17.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 MYR 19.60

$1.97 ฿62.0

145.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.81 MYR 117

$18.68 ฿587

54.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 MYR 18.81

$7.92 ฿249

-41.54%

Cappuccino

$3.07 MYR 12.46

$2.02 ฿63.7

51.98%

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

$0.87 MYR 3.53

$0.84 ฿26.45

3.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.11

$0.35 ฿11.07

48.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 MYR 17.09

$2.22 ฿69.9

89.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 MYR 23.56

$3.59 ฿113

61.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 MYR 8.12

$1.67 ฿52.4

19.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.07

$1.62 ฿51.1

-38.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.77

$1.20 ฿37.83

39.17%

Eggs

$2.27 MYR 9.20

$1.93 ฿60.8

17.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.87 MYR 60.4

$16.00 ฿503

-7.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 MYR 18.32

$3.16 ฿99.2

42.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 39.99

$10.93 ฿344

-9.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.64

$2.67 ฿83.8

7.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.45

$1.18 ฿36.99

34.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.49

$1.64 ฿51.5

57.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.91

$1.59 ฿49.83

-8.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$1.32 ฿41.64

-6.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 MYR 5.46

$1.19 ฿37.49

13.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 MYR 4.71

$0.71 ฿22.20

63.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.71

$0.56 ฿17.75

19.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 MYR 16.92

$4.64 ฿146

-10.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.47 MYR 75.0

$18.96 ฿596

-2.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 MYR 13.84

$1.77 ฿55.7

92.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 MYR 17.39

$3.20 ฿101

33.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.94

$0.90 ฿28.32

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.94 MYR 48.47

$19.24 ฿605

-37.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$1.36 ฿42.78

-11.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.50

$1.35 ฿42.37

-17.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 MYR 19.43

$8.15 ฿256

-41.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$1.22 ฿38.43

-60.66%

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

$40.7K MYR 165.3K

$21.4K ฿671.8K

90.59%

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

$32.0K MYR 129.7K

$21.7K ฿683.8K

46.93%

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

$64.5 MYR 262

$70.3 ฿2,210

-8.24%

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

$11.58 MYR 47.01

$13.91 ฿437

-16.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.61 MYR 104

$18.00 ฿566

42.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.05 MYR 187

$41.78 ฿1,314

10.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.01 MYR 32.52

$6.80 ฿214

17.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.35 MYR 21.70

$5.72 ฿180

-6.47%

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

$266 MYR 1,080

$308 ฿9,693

-13.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,472 MYR 38.5K

$14.8K ฿465.7K

-36.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 MYR 249

$55.9 ฿1,756

9.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.95 MYR 150

$26.71 ฿840

38.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 MYR 353

$84.5 ฿2,658

2.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 MYR 325

$70.8 ฿2,227

12.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,346

$431 ฿13.5K

34.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 MYR 1,482

$237 ฿7,439

54.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MYR 4,284

$811 ฿25.5K

30.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 MYR 2,623

$501 ฿15.7K

29.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,619 MYR 14.7K

$2,202 ฿69.2K

64.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 MYR 6,294

$1,600 ฿50.3K

-3.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,500 MYR 6,090

$684 ฿21.5K

119.14%

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: January 12, 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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