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 14.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 24.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 14.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 21.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.82 MYR 19.04

$2.01 ฿64.5

139.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.46 MYR 112

$18.23 ฿584

56.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 MYR 18.71

$7.65 ฿245

-38.04%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 11.83

$1.92 ฿61.5

55.73%

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

$0.92 MYR 3.64

$0.84 ฿26.97

9.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.11

$0.36 ฿11.42

47.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.13 MYR 16.33

$2.19 ฿70.2

88.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 MYR 22.65

$3.79 ฿121

51.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 MYR 8.16

$1.64 ฿52.5

26.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 MYR 3.99

$1.62 ฿52.0

-37.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.51

$1.15 ฿36.98

43.48%

Eggs

$2.26 MYR 8.92

$1.94 ฿62.2

16.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 MYR 57.6

$15.94 ฿511

-8.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.50 MYR 17.78

$3.10 ฿99.5

45.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.46 MYR 37.38

$11.07 ฿355

-14.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 MYR 11.78

$2.71 ฿86.8

9.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.45

$1.18 ฿37.80

38.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 MYR 10.55

$1.71 ฿54.7

56.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 5.83

$1.61 ฿51.5

-8.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.07

$1.39 ฿44.66

-7.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.26

$1.15 ฿36.81

15.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 MYR 4.78

$0.71 ฿22.83

70.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MYR 2.47

$0.55 ฿17.65

14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 16.92

$4.57 ฿146

-6.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.74 MYR 74.0

$18.87 ฿605

-0.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.40 MYR 13.44

$1.82 ฿58.4

86.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 MYR 17.57

$3.21 ฿103

38.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.76

$0.88 ฿28.24

-20.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.87 MYR 46.90

$18.89 ฿606

-37.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.72

$1.41 ฿45.30

-15.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MYR 4.35

$1.30 ฿41.71

-15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 MYR 19.12

$8.20 ฿263

-40.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 MYR 2.01

$1.23 ฿39.29

-58.54%

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

$40.1K MYR 158.3K

$21.2K ฿678.9K

89.27%

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

$32.7K MYR 129.4K

$22.3K ฿715.3K

46.77%

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

$63.6 MYR 251

$69.9 ฿2,240

-9.05%

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

$11.31 MYR 44.66

$14.07 ฿451

-19.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.49 MYR 101

$17.70 ฿567

44.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.57 MYR 180

$41.41 ฿1,328

10.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.62 MYR 30.10

$6.69 ฿215

13.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 MYR 20.19

$5.74 ฿184

-10.98%

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

$272 MYR 1,073

$299 ฿9,593

-9.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,452 MYR 37.3K

$15.0K ฿481.2K

-37.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.4 MYR 243

$54.8 ฿1,758

12.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.67 MYR 145

$26.35 ฿845

39.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 MYR 336

$84.7 ฿2,714

0.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 MYR 313

$69.7 ฿2,236

13.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 MYR 2,270

$427 ฿13.7K

34.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 MYR 1,486

$241 ฿7,718

56.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 MYR 4,290

$811 ฿26.0K

33.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$631 MYR 2,492

$498 ฿16.0K

26.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,936 MYR 15.5K

$2,022 ฿64.8K

94.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,551 MYR 6,125

$1,524 ฿48.9K

1.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,633 MYR 6,451

$639 ฿20.5K

155.53%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Kuala Lumpur vs other spots: cost of living compared

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