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

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 6.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 0.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Penang is 7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 2.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 MYR 12.61

$1.97 ฿62.0

57.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.15 MYR 85.9

$18.68 ฿587

13.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.33 MYR 17.57

$7.92 ฿249

-45.33%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.63

$2.02 ฿63.7

41.58%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$0.84 ฿26.45

-13.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.48

$0.35 ฿11.07

2.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.29 MYR 17.41

$2.22 ฿69.9

93.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MYR 17.73

$3.59 ฿113

21.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.63

$1.67 ฿52.4

12.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$1.62 ฿51.1

-38.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.07

$1.20 ฿37.83

65.83%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.33

$1.93 ฿60.8

6.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.99 MYR 69.0

$16.00 ฿503

6.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 MYR 21.02

$3.16 ฿99.2

63.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 MYR 60.8

$10.93 ฿344

36.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MYR 11.26

$2.67 ฿83.8

3.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

$1.18 ฿36.99

22.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 10.96

$1.64 ฿51.5

64.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MYR 8.47

$1.59 ฿49.83

31.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$1.32 ฿41.64

-14.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.97

$1.19 ฿37.49

2.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.84

$0.71 ฿22.20

33.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.56 ฿17.75

-19.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 MYR 17.12

$4.64 ฿146

-9.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.4

$18.96 ฿596

1.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.63

$1.77 ฿55.7

48.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 MYR 14.21

$3.20 ฿101

9.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.85

$0.90 ฿28.32

-48.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.42 MYR 70.7

$19.24 ฿605

-9.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$1.36 ฿42.78

-48.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$1.35 ฿42.37

-62.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 MYR 29.33

$8.15 ฿256

-11.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.88

$1.22 ฿38.43

-62.30%

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

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

$21.4K ฿671.8K

58.56%

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

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

$21.7K ฿683.8K

27.15%

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

$38.60 MYR 157

$70.3 ฿2,210

-45.09%

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

$10.03 MYR 40.71

$13.91 ฿437

-27.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 MYR 125

$18.00 ฿566

71.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.64 MYR 133

$41.78 ฿1,314

-21.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.52 MYR 22.40

$6.80 ฿214

-18.82%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$5.72 ฿180

-14.34%

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

$238 MYR 968

$308 ฿9,693

-22.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

$14.8K ฿465.7K

-58.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MYR 226

$55.9 ฿1,756

-0.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.29 MYR 119

$26.71 ฿840

9.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 MYR 245

$84.5 ฿2,658

-28.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 MYR 214

$70.8 ฿2,227

-25.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,543

$431 ฿13.5K

-11.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 MYR 920

$237 ฿7,439

-4.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$649 MYR 2,636

$811 ฿25.5K

-19.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 MYR 2,113

$501 ฿15.7K

3.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 MYR 9,072

$2,202 ฿69.2K

1.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 MYR 4,693

$1,600 ฿50.3K

-27.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$988 MYR 4,012

$684 ฿21.5K

44.39%

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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