Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 7.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 1.7% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 4.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 0.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.14 MYR 12.94

$1.98 ฿63.2

58.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.48 MYR 88.7

$18.69 ฿598

14.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.31 MYR 17.8

$7.55 ฿242

-42.91%

Cappuccino

$2.87 MYR 11.84

$2.03 ฿64.9

41.38%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.84

$0.79 ฿25.13

-12.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.51

$0.35 ฿11.32

5.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.44 MYR 18.31

$2.11 ฿67.5

110.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MYR 17.96

$3.61 ฿115

20.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MYR 7.8

$1.73 ฿55.3

9.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.22

$1.57 ฿50.3

-35.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MYR 8.05

$1.2 ฿38.4

62.50%

Eggs

$2.07 MYR 8.56

$2.01 ฿64.4

2.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 MYR 70.9

$16.01 ฿512

7.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.05 MYR 20.83

$3.13 ฿100

61.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 61.8

$10.82 ฿346

38.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 11.46

$2.65 ฿84.7

4.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.96

$1.21 ฿38.76

19.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.69

$1.69 ฿54.1

53.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MYR 8.63

$1.58 ฿50.6

32.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.89

$1.38 ฿44.31

-14.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 5.02

$1.16 ฿37.05

5.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 MYR 4.01

$0.66 ฿21.01

46.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.86

$0.53 ฿16.83

-15.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 MYR 17.1

$4.53 ฿145

-8.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.71 MYR 69

$18.45 ฿590

-9.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 MYR 10.95

$1.86 ฿59.5

42.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 MYR 13.98

$3.33 ฿107

1.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 MYR 2

$0.96 ฿30.56

-48.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.82 MYR 73.6

$19.24 ฿616

-7.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 MYR 2.86

$1.36 ฿43.62

-49.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.5 MYR 2.07

$1.35 ฿43.14

-62.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.97 MYR 28.77

$7.78 ฿249

-10.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 2.03

$1.27 ฿40.72

-61.42%

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

$33.6K MYR 138.5K

$21.5K ฿687K

56.32%

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

$27K MYR 111.6K

$22.2K ฿711.4K

21.59%

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

$38.25 MYR 158

$70.4 ฿2,251

-45.64%

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

$10.05 MYR 41.49

$13.97 ฿447

-28.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.73 MYR 127

$17.93 ฿574

71.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.53 MYR 134

$41.02 ฿1,313

-20.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 MYR 23.32

$6.8 ฿218

-16.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 MYR 20.78

$5.71 ฿183

-11.73%

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

$234 MYR 966

$302 ฿9,656

-22.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,245 MYR 25.8K

$14.8K ฿475.1K

-57.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 MYR 228

$56.1 ฿1,795

-1.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.03 MYR 120

$26.69 ฿854

8.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.9 MYR 255

$86.1 ฿2,754

-28.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MYR 216

$70.4 ฿2,252

-25.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,569

$428 ฿13.7K

-11.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 MYR 918

$243 ฿7,769

-8.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 MYR 2,694

$806 ฿25.8K

-18.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 MYR 2,118

$511 ฿16.4K

0.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,505 MYR 10.3K

$2,222 ฿71.1K

12.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,311 MYR 5,412

$1,414 ฿45.3K

-7.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,128 MYR 4,655

$680 ฿21.8K

65.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

-16.80%

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

Last update for Penang: November 30, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 29, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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