Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuantan and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuantan: $839 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Kuantan
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Kuantan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kuantan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$839

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuantan and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kuantan and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $839 per month in Kuantan vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kuantan $839
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,219 per month in Kuantan vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kuantan $1,219
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,599 per month in Kuantan vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kuantan $1,599
Chiang Mai $1,914

Kuantan is about 11% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kuantan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kuantan 38% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 MYR 10.18

$2.26 ฿75.4

10.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.00 MYR 48.96

$19.18 ฿641

-37.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.63 MYR 14.83

$5.59 ฿187

-35.06%

Cappuccino

$2.88 MYR 11.73

$1.72 ฿57.6

67.44%

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

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$0.64 ฿21.54

10.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.33 ฿11.18

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 MYR 11.43

$2.36 ฿78.7

18.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 MYR 23.37

$3.90 ฿130

46.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MYR 6.52

$2.05 ฿68.6

-21.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 MYR 3.35

$1.40 ฿46.70

-41.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.98

$1.28 ฿42.89

14.84%

Eggs

$1.31 MYR 5.34

$2.25 ฿75.3

-41.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 MYR 38.79

$16.94 ฿566

-43.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.36

$2.74 ฿91.6

19.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.42 MYR 18.04

$9.36 ฿313

-52.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 MYR 12.35

$2.40 ฿80.3

26.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$1.01 ฿33.92

91.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.12

$1.61 ฿53.9

69.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 MYR 7.14

$1.52 ฿50.7

15.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 7.03

$1.28 ฿42.90

34.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.93

$1.11 ฿37.22

74.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 MYR 3.12

$0.72 ฿24.09

5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.28

$0.52 ฿17.54

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MYR 17.85

$4.33 ฿145

1.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.95 MYR 81.4

$17.73 ฿593

12.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 MYR 8.13

$1.63 ฿54.4

22.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 MYR 7.81

$2.85 ฿95.3

-32.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$0.85 ฿28.31

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.15 MYR 49.55

$53.9 ฿1,801

-77.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 MYR 4.61

$1.17 ฿39.18

-3.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.45

$0.57 ฿19.00

-38.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.05 MYR 36.92

$2.37 ฿79.2

281.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$1.45 ฿48.32

-64.14%

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

$34.1K MYR 139.1K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

66.56%

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

$33.1K MYR 134.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

24.77%

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

$49.82 MYR 203

$62.3 ฿2,083

-20.07%

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

$8.06 MYR 32.86

$12.27 ฿410

-34.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.16 MYR 98.6

$19.97 ฿668

20.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.79 MYR 162

$37.91 ฿1,267

4.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.83 MYR 27.87

$3.76 ฿126

81.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 MYR 18.98

$6.71 ฿224

-30.70%

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

$280 MYR 1,142

$797 ฿26.6K

-64.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K MYR 41.8K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-30.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 MYR 214

$53.3 ฿1,780

-1.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.29 MYR 124

$25.05 ฿837

20.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.62 MYR 202

$91.6 ฿3,062

-45.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.89 MYR 199

$73.5 ฿2,455

-33.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 MYR 1,675

$464 ฿15.5K

-11.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 MYR 1,232

$305 ฿10.2K

-0.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 MYR 2,822

$915 ฿30.6K

-24.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$476 MYR 1,943

$552 ฿18.5K

-13.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,015 MYR 8,220

$1,912 ฿63.9K

5.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,090 MYR 4,448

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-24.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MYR 3,976

$595 ฿19.9K

63.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.15

5.57

-25.49%

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

Last update for Kuantan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Kuantan

$302 36%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 0.9% $2.8

Groceries & Markets

Kuantan

$212 25.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 12.1% $26

Eating Out

Kuantan

$95 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 17.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuantan

$82 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 15.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Kuantan

$82 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 34.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Kuantan

$49 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 4.6% $2.2

Getting Around

Kuantan

$17 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 259% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $411 in Kuantan versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 64% higher in Kuantan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Kuantan versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $238 – making Kuantan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuantan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

1 h behind Kuantan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

548,014

127,240

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kuantan Chiang Mai 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuantan
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Kuantan vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 12% more than Kuantan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,259 per month in Kuantan and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuantan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $280 per month in Kuantan and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kuantan, where all-in costs run around $839, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Kuantan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kuantan costs $839 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kuantan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.