Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setia Alam and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living costs are similar in Setia Alam and in Chiang Mai: $913 and $938 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Setia Alam
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Setia Alam Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in Setia Alam vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Setia Alam $913
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,358 per month in Setia Alam vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Setia Alam $1,358
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,803 per month in Setia Alam vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Setia Alam $1,803
Chiang Mai $1,914

Setia Alam is about 3% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Setia Alam and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Setia Alam 32% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.81 MYR 19.61

$2.26 ฿75.4

112.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.57 MYR 100

$19.18 ฿641

28.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 MYR 20.22

$5.59 ฿187

-11.27%

Cappuccino

$2.76 MYR 11.27

$1.72 ฿57.6

60.47%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.23

$0.64 ฿21.54

23.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.33 ฿11.18

42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.32 MYR 17.63

$2.36 ฿78.7

83.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 MYR 24.50

$3.90 ฿130

54.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MYR 6.09

$2.05 ฿68.6

-27.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$1.40 ฿46.70

-48.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.59 MYR 2.42

$1.28 ฿42.89

-53.91%

Eggs

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$2.25 ฿75.3

-46.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.82 MYR 56.4

$16.94 ฿566

-18.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.41 MYR 9.83

$2.74 ฿91.6

-12.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.41 MYR 9.83

$9.36 ฿313

-74.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.04

$2.40 ฿80.3

-48.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.47

$1.01 ฿33.92

81.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 MYR 5.11

$1.61 ฿53.9

-22.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$1.52 ฿50.7

-21.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$1.28 ฿42.90

-44.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 MYR 3.03

$1.11 ฿37.22

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$0.72 ฿24.09

-2.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 MYR 2.95

$0.52 ฿17.54

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MYR 17.64

$4.33 ฿145

-0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.60 MYR 80.0

$17.73 ฿593

10.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

$1.63 ฿54.4

120.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MYR 19.84

$2.85 ฿95.3

70.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.08

$0.85 ฿28.31

-10.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.31 MYR 50.2

$53.9 ฿1,801

-77.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$1.17 ฿39.18

5.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 MYR 4.88

$0.57 ฿19.00

110.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.78 MYR 19.49

$2.37 ฿79.2

101.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$1.45 ฿48.32

-66.90%

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

$39.2K MYR 159.9K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

91.38%

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

$33.0K MYR 134.7K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

24.57%

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

$61.2 MYR 250

$62.3 ฿2,083

-1.86%

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

$8.52 MYR 34.77

$12.27 ฿410

-30.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MYR 106

$19.97 ฿668

30.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.73 MYR 203

$37.91 ฿1,267

31.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.97 MYR 28.44

$3.76 ฿126

85.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MYR 20.82

$6.71 ฿224

-23.99%

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

$135 MYR 551

$797 ฿26.6K

-83.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,885 MYR 32.2K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-46.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MYR 296

$53.3 ฿1,780

36.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.31 MYR 111

$25.05 ฿837

9.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.8 MYR 220

$91.6 ฿3,062

-41.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.56 MYR 149

$73.5 ฿2,455

-50.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 MYR 2,160

$464 ฿15.5K

14.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 MYR 1,319

$305 ฿10.2K

6.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 MYR 3,562

$915 ฿30.6K

-4.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 MYR 2,238

$552 ฿18.5K

-0.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,992 MYR 8,128

$1,912 ฿63.9K

4.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,102 MYR 4,498

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-23.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,143 MYR 4,663

$595 ฿19.9K

92.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Setia Alam: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Setia Alam

$323 35.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 5.8% $19

Groceries & Markets

Setia Alam

$200 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 18.9% $38

Eating Out

Setia Alam

$125 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 36.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Setia Alam

$96 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 1.2% $1.2

Clothing & Footwear

Setia Alam

$86 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 27.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Setia Alam

$60 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 14.3% $8.6

Getting Around

Setia Alam

$23 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 172% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $529 in Setia Alam 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 92% higher in Setia Alam, 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 $25.00 in Setia Alam versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Setia Alam vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Setia Alam wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:52 11:52 PM

22:52 10:52 PM

1 h behind Setia Alam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,000

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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Setia Alam
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

Setia Alam vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 3% more than Setia Alam, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,369 per month in Setia Alam 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 Setia Alam, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $135 per month in Setia Alam 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 19% 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 Setia Alam, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Setia Alam 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. Setia Alam costs $913 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 Setia Alam. 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.