Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sibu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $905 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $370 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $905 per month in Sibu vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sibu $905
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,406 per month in Sibu vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sibu $1,406
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,906 per month in Sibu vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sibu $1,906
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sibu is about 3% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sibu and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sibu 34% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 MYR 9.14

$2.24 ฿75.6

0.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.22 MYR 77.9

$19.00 ฿641

1.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 MYR 17.14

$5.55 ฿187

-23.78%

Cappuccino

$2.30 MYR 9.31

$1.67 ฿56.5

37.72%

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

$0.61 MYR 2.48

$0.64 ฿21.55

-4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.93

$0.31 ฿10.31

-25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 MYR 11.60

$2.36 ฿79.6

21.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.08

$3.66 ฿124

21.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MYR 7.14

$1.95 ฿65.8

-9.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$1.44 ฿48.48

-39.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.37

$1.33 ฿45.04

Eggs

$2.18 MYR 8.82

$2.28 ฿77.1

-4.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.35 MYR 54.1

$16.45 ฿555

-18.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$2.78 ฿93.9

76.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 MYR 40.23

$9.31 ฿314

6.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MYR 11.60

$2.35 ฿79.4

21.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 MYR 7.35

$0.97 ฿32.80

86.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 MYR 9.58

$1.60 ฿53.9

47.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.86

$1.50 ฿50.6

12.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.59

$1.28 ฿43.12

7.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.40

$1.10 ฿37.19

20.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MYR 4.28

$0.71 ฿23.82

49.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.28

$0.49 ฿16.37

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MYR 18.18

$4.14 ฿140

8.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.27 MYR 78.1

$17.52 ฿591

9.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.23

$1.61 ฿54.5

87.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.71

$2.78 ฿94.0

65.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$0.87 ฿29.31

-9.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.49 MYR 46.59

$54.1 ฿1,826

-78.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 MYR 4.24

$1.16 ฿39.06

-10.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 MYR 2.48

$0.53 ฿17.80

15.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.27 MYR 29.47

$2.42 ฿81.8

200.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.51

$1.45 ฿48.90

-40.00%

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

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

116.17%

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

$36.2K MYR 146.6K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

34.18%

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

$48.91 MYR 198

$62.2 ฿2,098

-21.33%

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

$7.37 MYR 29.86

$12.17 ฿411

-39.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 MYR 106

$20.12 ฿679

30.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.13 MYR 110

$37.31 ฿1,259

-27.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.38 MYR 25.88

$3.77 ฿127

69.23%

Cinema Ticket

$3.72 MYR 15.10

$6.49 ฿219

-42.68%

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

$243 MYR 984

$736 ฿24.8K

-67.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,876 MYR 27.9K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-53.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 MYR 228

$53.4 ฿1,801

5.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 MYR 148

$24.64 ฿831

47.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 MYR 281

$91.5 ฿3,087

-24.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 MYR 317

$71.9 ฿2,428

8.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 MYR 1,579

$482 ฿16.3K

-19.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 MYR 1,288

$309 ฿10.4K

2.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 MYR 2,828

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-30.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 MYR 2,552

$633 ฿21.4K

-0.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,136 MYR 8,660

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-9.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 MYR 4,723

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-26.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$487 MYR 1,974

$590 ฿19.9K

-17.44%

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 Sibu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sibu

$318 35.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 2.8% $8.8

Groceries & Markets

Sibu

$258 28.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 9.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Sibu

$108 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 0.6% $0.7

Eating Out

Sibu

$85 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 8.6% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibu

$82 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 14.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sibu

$35 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 45.4% $16

Getting Around

Sibu

$19 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 227% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $390 in Sibu 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 21% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Sibu versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Sibu vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sibu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

09:02 9:02 AM

1 h behind Sibu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,239

127,240

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sibu Chiang Mai 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sibu
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 3% more than Sibu, 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 $1,357 per month in Sibu 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 Sibu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $390 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 79% less in Sibu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $905 in Sibu and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Sibu – 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.

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