Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Labuan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,020 in Labuan, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Labuan 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 Labuan and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Labuan vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Labuan $1,020
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,487 per month in Labuan vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Labuan $1,487
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,953 per month in Labuan vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Labuan $1,953
Chiang Mai $1,914

Labuan costs about 9% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Labuan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Labuan 24% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 MYR 22.53

$2.26 ฿75.4

144.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.16 MYR 98.6

$19.18 ฿641

25.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 MYR 27.19

$5.59 ฿187

19.14%

Cappuccino

$3.93 MYR 16.05

$1.72 ฿57.6

128.49%

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

$1.06 MYR 4.34

$0.64 ฿21.54

65.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.83

$0.33 ฿11.18

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.72 MYR 15.19

$2.36 ฿78.7

57.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 MYR 18.48

$3.90 ฿130

16.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.43

$2.05 ฿68.6

-11.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$1.40 ฿46.70

-25.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.07

$1.28 ฿42.89

16.41%

Eggs

$2.10 MYR 8.58

$2.25 ฿75.3

-6.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.82 MYR 68.6

$16.94 ฿566

-0.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.42 MYR 18.03

$2.74 ฿91.6

61.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.50 MYR 38.76

$9.36 ฿313

1.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.95

$2.40 ฿80.3

32.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.46

$1.01 ฿33.92

81.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 MYR 9.75

$1.61 ฿53.9

48.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.17

$1.52 ฿50.7

15.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.68

$1.28 ฿42.90

8.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.20

$1.11 ฿37.22

-7.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.81

$0.72 ฿24.09

63.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.20

$0.52 ฿17.54

3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.04 MYR 20.57

$4.33 ฿145

16.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 MYR 66.5

$17.73 ฿593

-8.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 MYR 13.11

$1.63 ฿54.4

96.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 17.90

$2.85 ฿95.3

54.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 MYR 3.17

$0.85 ฿28.31

-8.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.66 MYR 43.48

$53.9 ฿1,801

-80.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 MYR 5.47

$1.17 ฿39.18

14.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 MYR 1.97

$0.57 ฿19.00

-15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 MYR 26.43

$2.37 ฿79.2

173.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.58

$1.45 ฿48.32

-39.31%

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

$44.0K MYR 179.5K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

114.89%

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

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

22.69%

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

$48.90 MYR 199

$62.3 ฿2,083

-21.55%

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

$9.68 MYR 39.49

$12.27 ฿410

-21.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.69 MYR 113

$19.97 ฿668

38.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.60 MYR 170

$37.91 ฿1,267

9.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.68 MYR 31.32

$3.76 ฿126

104.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.29 MYR 17.51

$6.71 ฿224

-36.07%

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

$208 MYR 849

$797 ฿26.6K

-73.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,011 MYR 28.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-52.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 MYR 228

$53.3 ฿1,780

4.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.07 MYR 123

$25.05 ฿837

20.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 MYR 355

$91.6 ฿3,062

-5.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 MYR 334

$73.5 ฿2,455

11.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 MYR 1,768

$464 ฿15.5K

-6.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 MYR 1,397

$305 ฿10.2K

12.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,614

$915 ฿30.6K

-29.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 MYR 1,892

$552 ฿18.5K

-16.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,282 MYR 9,308

$1,912 ฿63.9K

19.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,136 MYR 4,636

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-20.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$374 MYR 1,525

$595 ฿19.9K

-37.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.57

-27.11%

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

Last update for Labuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Labuan

$342 33.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 11% $38

Groceries & Markets

Labuan

$264 25.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 9.9% $26

Eating Out

Labuan

$145 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 45.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Labuan

$115 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 4.4% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Labuan

$86 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 9.6% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Labuan

$50 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 2.3% $1.2

Getting Around

Labuan

$18 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 250% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $433 in Labuan 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 59% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $24.00 in Labuan versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Labuan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

1 h behind Labuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,120

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 19, 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 19, 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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Between locations

Labuan Chiang Mai 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Labuan
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

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

Labuan costs about 9% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,530 per month in Labuan 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $208 per month in Labuan 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 11% more in Labuan, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Labuan at $1,020. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Labuan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,020 in Labuan. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Labuan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.