Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sentul and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Sentul: $878 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Sentul
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Sentul Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sentul

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$878

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $878 per month in Sentul vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sentul $878
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,334 per month in Sentul vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sentul $1,334
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,790 per month in Sentul vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sentul $1,790
Chiang Mai $1,914

Sentul is about 6% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sentul and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sentul 35% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 MYR 14.84

$2.26 ฿75.4

61.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 MYR 90.1

$19.18 ฿641

15.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 MYR 20.53

$5.59 ฿187

-10.02%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 12.21

$1.72 ฿57.6

73.84%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$0.64 ฿21.54

29.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.10

$0.33 ฿11.18

54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.38

$2.36 ฿78.7

38.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 MYR 23.93

$3.90 ฿130

50.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MYR 6.92

$2.05 ฿68.6

-17.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.40 ฿46.70

-26.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.80

$1.28 ฿42.89

10.94%

Eggs

$1.74 MYR 7.11

$2.25 ฿75.3

-22.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.66 MYR 39.39

$16.94 ฿566

-42.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.94

$2.74 ฿91.6

15.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.45 MYR 38.56

$9.36 ฿313

0.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 MYR 13.26

$2.40 ฿80.3

35.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.87

$1.01 ฿33.92

66.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 MYR 10.81

$1.61 ฿53.9

64.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.53

$1.52 ฿50.7

5.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.97

$1.28 ฿42.90

14.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.70

$1.11 ฿37.22

47.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$0.72 ฿24.09

83.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$0.52 ฿17.54

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.16 MYR 16.99

$4.33 ฿145

-3.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 MYR 56.7

$17.73 ฿593

-21.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 MYR 10.81

$1.63 ฿54.4

62.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MYR 12.68

$2.85 ฿95.3

9.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 MYR 3.31

$0.85 ฿28.31

-4.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.06 MYR 49.19

$53.9 ฿1,801

-77.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 MYR 3.91

$1.17 ฿39.18

-17.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.57

$0.57 ฿19.00

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 MYR 36.60

$2.37 ฿79.2

278.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$1.45 ฿48.32

-40.00%

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

$41.2K MYR 168.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

101.32%

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

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

22.71%

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

$49.70 MYR 203

$62.3 ฿2,083

-20.26%

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

$8.10 MYR 33.04

$12.27 ฿410

-33.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 MYR 112

$19.97 ฿668

37.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 MYR 168

$37.91 ฿1,267

8.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.45 MYR 30.40

$3.76 ฿126

98.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 MYR 20.57

$6.71 ฿224

-24.89%

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

$161 MYR 658

$797 ฿26.6K

-79.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,446 MYR 18.1K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-70.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 MYR 206

$53.3 ฿1,780

-5.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.38 MYR 66.8

$25.05 ฿837

-34.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 MYR 315

$91.6 ฿3,062

-15.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 MYR 349

$73.5 ฿2,455

16.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 MYR 1,419

$464 ฿15.5K

-25.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 MYR 1,150

$305 ฿10.2K

-7.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$707 MYR 2,883

$915 ฿30.6K

-22.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$484 MYR 1,976

$552 ฿18.5K

-12.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,147 MYR 8,759

$1,912 ฿63.9K

12.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,058 MYR 4,315

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-26.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$890 MYR 3,631

$595 ฿19.9K

49.55%

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 Sentul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sentul

$282 32.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 8% $23

Groceries & Markets

Sentul

$224 25.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 6% $14

Eating Out

Sentul

$114 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 30.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Sentul

$103 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 6% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sentul

$85 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 11% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Sentul

$51 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Sentul

$18 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 237% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $348 in Sentul versus $464 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 50% higher in Sentul, 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 $22.00 in Sentul versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $224 in Sentul vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Sentul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sentul

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

09:36 9:36 AM

1 h behind Sentul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sentul Chiang Mai 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sentul
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Sentul, 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 $1,317 per month in Sentul and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sentul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $161 per month in Sentul and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sentul, where all-in costs run around $878, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Sentul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sentul costs $878 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sentul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.