Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Putra Heights and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Putra Heights and in Chiang Mai: $927 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Putra Heights
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Putra Heights Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Putra Heights

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$927

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $927 per month in Putra Heights vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Putra Heights $927
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,421 per month in Putra Heights vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Putra Heights $1,421
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,915 per month in Putra Heights vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Putra Heights $1,915
Chiang Mai $1,979

Putra Heights and Chiang Mai have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Putra Heights and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Putra Heights 32% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 MYR 15.35

$2.24 ฿75.6

68.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.15 MYR 73.9

$19.00 ฿641

-4.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.95

$5.55 ฿187

-11.71%

Cappuccino

$2.83 MYR 11.51

$1.67 ฿56.5

69.46%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$0.64 ฿21.53

21.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.71

$0.31 ฿10.30

35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 MYR 18.34

$2.36 ฿79.5

91.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.23 MYR 25.38

$3.66 ฿124

70.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 MYR 6.78

$1.95 ฿65.7

-14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.34

$1.44 ฿48.45

-25.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.84

$1.33 ฿45.01

7.52%

Eggs

$1.75 MYR 7.12

$2.28 ฿77.0

-23.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.08 MYR 57.3

$16.45 ฿555

-14.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 18.56

$2.78 ฿93.8

64.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 MYR 41.44

$9.31 ฿314

9.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 MYR 13.49

$2.35 ฿79.4

40.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.06

$0.97 ฿32.78

78.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 MYR 9.39

$1.60 ฿53.9

44.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.09

$1.50 ฿50.6

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.00

$1.28 ฿43.10

-3.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.53

$1.10 ฿37.17

23.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.61

$0.71 ฿23.81

59.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.49 ฿16.36

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MYR 17.93

$4.14 ฿140

6.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 MYR 57.8

$17.52 ฿591

-18.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 MYR 12.01

$1.61 ฿54.5

83.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$2.78 ฿93.9

8.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 3.02

$0.87 ฿29.29

-14.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.19 MYR 49.61

$54.1 ฿1,825

-77.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 MYR 3.86

$1.16 ฿39.03

-18.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 MYR 2.87

$0.53 ฿17.79

33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 MYR 20.33

$2.42 ฿81.7

106.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$1.45 ฿48.87

-40.00%

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

$44.4K MYR 180.9K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

111.06%

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

$34.7K MYR 141.1K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

28.64%

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

$62.9 MYR 256

$62.2 ฿2,097

1.17%

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

$8.99 MYR 36.61

$12.17 ฿410

-26.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.85 MYR 105

$20.12 ฿679

28.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.32 MYR 152

$37.31 ฿1,259

0.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.72 MYR 23.29

$3.77 ฿127

51.72%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 20.37

$6.49 ฿219

-22.80%

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

$241 MYR 981

$736 ฿24.8K

-67.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,302 MYR 21.6K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-64.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MYR 220

$53.4 ฿1,800

1.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.45 MYR 67.0

$24.64 ฿831

-33.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MYR 325

$91.5 ฿3,086

-12.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 MYR 399

$71.9 ฿2,426

36.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 MYR 1,716

$482 ฿16.3K

-12.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 MYR 1,164

$309 ฿10.4K

-7.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$707 MYR 2,878

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-29.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 MYR 2,223

$633 ฿21.4K

-13.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,818 MYR 7,400

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-23.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 MYR 5,031

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-22.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,102 MYR 4,486

$590 ฿19.9K

86.88%

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 Putra Heights: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Putra Heights

$286 30.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 8.1% $23

Groceries & Markets

Putra Heights

$246 26.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 4.7% $12

Eating Out

Putra Heights

$119 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 34.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Putra Heights

$112 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 2.8% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Putra Heights

$98 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 3.4% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Putra Heights

$47 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.2% $2.9

Getting Around

Putra Heights

$20 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 213% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $422 in Putra Heights 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 87% higher in Putra Heights. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Putra Heights versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $246 in Putra Heights vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Putra Heights

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

23:50 11:50 PM

1 h behind Putra Heights

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Putra Heights Chiang Mai 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Putra Heights
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

Putra Heights vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,390 per month in Putra Heights 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 Putra Heights, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $422 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Putra Heights and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 77% less in Putra Heights. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Putra Heights – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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