Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shah Alam and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Shah Alam and in Chiang Mai: $933 and $938 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in Shah Alam
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Shah Alam Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Shah Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $933 per month in Shah Alam vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Shah Alam $933
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,429 per month in Shah Alam vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Shah Alam $1,429
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,925 per month in Shah Alam vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Shah Alam $1,925
Chiang Mai $1,914

Shah Alam is about 1% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Shah Alam and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Shah Alam 31% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.19

$2.26 ฿75.4

64.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.34 MYR 78.9

$19.18 ฿641

0.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.21 MYR 17.16

$5.59 ฿187

-24.69%

Cappuccino

$2.87 MYR 11.70

$1.72 ฿57.6

66.86%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.17

$0.64 ฿21.54

21.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.58

$0.33 ฿11.18

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 MYR 13.85

$2.36 ฿78.7

44.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 MYR 17.65

$3.90 ฿130

11.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 MYR 7.29

$2.05 ฿68.6

-12.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.31

$1.40 ฿46.70

-24.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 6.01

$1.28 ฿42.89

14.84%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.85

$2.25 ฿75.3

-3.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.59 MYR 55.4

$16.94 ฿566

-19.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.78

$2.74 ฿91.6

59.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 MYR 38.79

$9.36 ฿313

1.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 MYR 14.38

$2.40 ฿80.3

47.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MYR 6.61

$1.01 ฿33.92

60.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MYR 10.67

$1.61 ฿53.9

62.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.05

$1.52 ฿50.7

13.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 MYR 5.08

$1.28 ฿42.90

-2.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.33

$1.11 ฿37.22

83.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$0.72 ฿24.09

98.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.19

$0.52 ฿17.54

3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 MYR 17.66

$4.33 ฿145

Wine (Bottle)

$18.85 MYR 76.9

$17.73 ฿593

6.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 MYR 11.26

$1.63 ฿54.4

69.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 MYR 18.94

$2.85 ฿95.3

62.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.05

$0.85 ฿28.31

-11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.11 MYR 65.7

$53.9 ฿1,801

-70.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.90

$1.17 ฿39.18

2.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 MYR 1.67

$0.57 ฿19.00

-28.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.48 MYR 30.52

$2.37 ฿79.2

215.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.32

$1.45 ฿48.32

-44.14%

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

$42.1K MYR 171.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

105.53%

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

$34.9K MYR 142.5K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

31.73%

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

$36.85 MYR 150

$62.3 ฿2,083

-40.88%

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

$9.64 MYR 39.32

$12.27 ฿410

-21.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.94 MYR 118

$19.97 ฿668

44.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.19 MYR 164

$37.91 ฿1,267

6.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.88 MYR 19.92

$3.76 ฿126

29.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 MYR 26.86

$6.71 ฿224

-1.94%

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

$199 MYR 812

$797 ฿26.6K

-75.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,548 MYR 18.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-69.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 MYR 235

$53.3 ฿1,780

8.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.52 MYR 161

$25.05 ฿837

57.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 MYR 277

$91.6 ฿3,062

-25.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 MYR 285

$73.5 ฿2,455

-4.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 MYR 1,386

$464 ฿15.5K

-26.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 MYR 1,255

$305 ฿10.2K

1.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 MYR 2,301

$915 ฿30.6K

-38.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 MYR 2,283

$552 ฿18.5K

1.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,502 MYR 6,128

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-21.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 MYR 4,753

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-18.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,264 MYR 5,156

$595 ฿19.9K

112.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

5.57

-27.47%

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

Last update for Shah Alam: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shah Alam

$308 33%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 1% $3

Groceries & Markets

Shah Alam

$261 28%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 8.9% $23

Eating Out

Shah Alam

$107 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 26.2% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Shah Alam

$106 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 3.6% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shah Alam

$75 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 25.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Shah Alam

$53 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 3.8% $2

Getting Around

Shah Alam

$22 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 174% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $340 in Shah 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 112% higher in Shah 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 $19.00 in Shah Alam versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $261 in Shah Alam vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Shah Alam

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:52 4:52 PM

15:52 3:52 PM

1 h behind Shah Alam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

812,327

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 20, 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 20, 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

Shah Alam Chiang Mai 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shah 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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 1% more than Shah Alam, 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 $1,399 per month in Shah 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 Shah Alam, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $199 per month in Shah Alam and $797 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 10% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Shah Alam, where all-in costs run around $933, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Shah 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. Shah Alam costs $933 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 Shah 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.