Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawang and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $735 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $735 per month in Rawang vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rawang $735
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,173 per month in Rawang vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rawang $1,173
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,611 per month in Rawang vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rawang $1,611
Chiang Mai $1,979

Rawang is about 21% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rawang and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Rawang 46% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.15

$2.24 ฿75.7

66.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.66 MYR 80.1

$19.00 ฿642

3.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 MYR 20.25

$5.55 ฿188

-10.45%

Cappuccino

$3.00 MYR 12.22

$1.67 ฿56.6

79.64%

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

$0.82 MYR 3.35

$0.64 ฿21.56

28.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.61

$0.31 ฿10.32

29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.23

$2.36 ฿79.6

79.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MYR 18.01

$3.66 ฿124

20.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 MYR 7.30

$1.95 ฿65.8

-8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.23

$1.44 ฿48.51

-27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.88

$1.33 ฿45.07

27.07%

Eggs

$2.14 MYR 8.72

$2.28 ฿77.1

-6.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.18 MYR 57.8

$16.45 ฿556

-13.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 MYR 18.04

$2.78 ฿94.0

59.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 MYR 41.42

$9.31 ฿314

9.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MYR 11.88

$2.35 ฿79.5

24.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$0.97 ฿32.82

87.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 MYR 10.77

$1.60 ฿53.9

65.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$1.50 ฿50.7

-4.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.98

$1.28 ฿43.15

-4.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.34

$1.10 ฿37.22

19.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$0.71 ฿23.84

57.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$0.49 ฿16.38

16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.49 MYR 18.31

$4.14 ฿140

8.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.06 MYR 77.7

$17.52 ฿592

8.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.62

$1.61 ฿54.5

77.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MYR 20.13

$2.78 ฿94.0

77.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$0.87 ฿29.33

-11.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 49.97

$54.1 ฿1,827

-77.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 MYR 7.09

$1.16 ฿39.08

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.52

$0.53 ฿17.82

-30.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.83 MYR 27.82

$2.42 ฿81.8

182.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 MYR 3.37

$1.45 ฿48.93

-42.76%

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

$43.5K MYR 177.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

106.35%

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

$35.0K MYR 142.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

29.96%

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

$36.97 MYR 151

$62.2 ฿2,100

-40.53%

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

$9.75 MYR 39.71

$12.17 ฿411

-19.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.46 MYR 116

$20.12 ฿680

41.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.63 MYR 153

$37.31 ฿1,260

0.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 MYR 27.31

$3.77 ฿127

77.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.85

$6.49 ฿219

-24.96%

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

$401 MYR 1,634

$736 ฿24.9K

-45.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-25.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 MYR 245

$53.4 ฿1,802

12.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.90 MYR 142

$24.64 ฿832

41.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 MYR 336

$91.5 ฿3,089

-9.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 MYR 290

$71.9 ฿2,429

-1.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$143 MYR 581

$482 ฿16.3K

-70.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 MYR 425

$309 ฿10.4K

-66.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 MYR 2,347

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-42.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 MYR 955

$633 ฿21.4K

-62.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,963 MYR 7,998

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-16.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 MYR 4,877

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-24.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,012 MYR 4,122

$590 ฿19.9K

71.54%

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 Rawang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rawang

$262 35.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 10.5% $28

Eating Out

Rawang

$115 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 32.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Rawang

$112 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 2.8% $3.2

Accommodation & Living

Rawang

$104 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 196% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawang

$75 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 25.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Rawang

$47 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.1% $2.9

Getting Around

Rawang

$19 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 224% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $143 in Rawang 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 72% higher in Rawang, 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 $20 in Rawang versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Rawang

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

03:37 3:37 AM

1 h behind Rawang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rawang Chiang Mai 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rawang
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 27% more than Rawang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,103 per month in Rawang 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 Rawang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $143 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $401 per month in Rawang and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Families tend to lean toward Rawang – 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.