Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lumut, Perak and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $988 in Lumut, Perak, rent and utilities included – about $620 less a year. The total is higher in Lumut, Perak despite lower rent and utilities.

47

Cost of Living Index in Lumut, Perak
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Lumut, Perak Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$988

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $988 per month in Lumut, Perak vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lumut, Perak $988
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,498 per month in Lumut, Perak vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lumut, Perak $1,498
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,008 per month in Lumut, Perak vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lumut, Perak $2,008
Chiang Mai $1,979

Lumut, Perak costs about 6% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lumut, Perak and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Lumut, Perak 27% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 MYR 14.85

$2.24 ฿75.7

62.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.00 MYR 48.89

$19.00 ฿642

-36.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 MYR 20.03

$5.55 ฿188

-11.53%

Cappuccino

$2.95 MYR 12.01

$1.67 ฿56.6

76.65%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.13

$0.64 ฿21.56

20.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.31 ฿10.32

22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 MYR 15.27

$2.36 ฿79.6

58.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.23 MYR 25.36

$3.66 ฿124

70.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 MYR 8.38

$1.95 ฿65.8

5.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.34

$1.44 ฿48.51

-25.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MYR 7.83

$1.33 ฿45.07

44.36%

Eggs

$2.41 MYR 9.81

$2.28 ฿77.1

5.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 MYR 56.4

$16.45 ฿556

-15.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 MYR 18.46

$2.78 ฿94.0

62.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 MYR 40.06

$9.31 ฿314

5.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 MYR 13.52

$2.35 ฿79.5

41.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 MYR 7.52

$0.97 ฿32.82

90.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 MYR 9.08

$1.60 ฿53.9

39.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 MYR 6.38

$1.50 ฿50.7

4.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.18

$1.28 ฿43.15

-0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.61

$1.10 ฿37.22

25.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 MYR 4.73

$0.71 ฿23.84

63.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$0.49 ฿16.38

44.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 17.45

$4.14 ฿140

3.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.87 MYR 81.0

$17.52 ฿592

13.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.12

$1.61 ฿54.5

115.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 MYR 20.52

$2.78 ฿94.0

81.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$0.87 ฿29.33

-16.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.54 MYR 51.1

$54.1 ฿1,827

-76.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MYR 5.02

$1.16 ฿39.08

6.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 MYR 5.12

$0.53 ฿17.82

137.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.86 MYR 19.79

$2.42 ฿81.8

100.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.55

$1.45 ฿48.93

-40.00%

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

$43.7K MYR 178.2K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

107.70%

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

$34.7K MYR 141.5K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

28.88%

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

$62.5 MYR 255

$62.2 ฿2,100

0.60%

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

$8.99 MYR 36.62

$12.17 ฿411

-26.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.83 MYR 105

$20.12 ฿680

28.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.64 MYR 170

$37.31 ฿1,260

11.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.57 MYR 26.79

$3.77 ฿127

74.27%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 19.62

$6.49 ฿219

-25.89%

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

$242 MYR 987

$736 ฿24.9K

-67.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K MYR 54.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-9.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 MYR 294

$53.4 ฿1,802

34.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.00 MYR 171

$24.64 ฿832

70.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 MYR 347

$91.5 ฿3,089

-6.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 MYR 393

$71.9 ฿2,429

34.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 MYR 1,692

$482 ฿16.3K

-13.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 MYR 1,201

$309 ฿10.4K

-4.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$722 MYR 2,942

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-28.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 MYR 2,293

$633 ฿21.4K

-11.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,757 MYR 7,160

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-25.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,304 MYR 5,314

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-17.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$375 MYR 1,527

$590 ฿19.9K

-36.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

5.57

-25.13%

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

Last update for Lumut, Perak: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lumut, Perak

$295 29.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 4.8% $14

Groceries & Markets

Lumut, Perak

$273 27.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 14.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Lumut, Perak

$133 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 18.4% $24

Eating Out

Lumut, Perak

$115 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 32.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lumut, Perak

$97 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 3% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lumut, Perak

$51 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 1.9% $1

Getting Around

Lumut, Perak

$23 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 167% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $415 in Lumut, Perak versus $482 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 57% 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 $12 in Lumut, Perak versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $273 in Lumut, Perak vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Lumut, Perak

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

1 h behind Lumut, Perak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,595

127,240

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lumut, Perak Chiang Mai 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lumut, Perak
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

Lumut, Perak vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lumut, Perak costs about 6% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,482 per month in Lumut, Perak and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lumut, Perak, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $415 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $242 per month in Lumut, Perak and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Lumut, Perak, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $988 in Lumut, Perak and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $988 in Lumut, Perak. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.