Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skudai and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Skudai: $900 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $430 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Skudai
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Skudai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Skudai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$900

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $900 per month in Skudai vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Skudai $900
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,370 per month in Skudai vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Skudai $1,370
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,840 per month in Skudai vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Skudai $1,840
Chiang Mai $1,979

Skudai is about 4% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 MYR 14.77

$2.24 ฿75.6

62.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.25 MYR 74.3

$19.00 ฿641

-3.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.96

$5.55 ฿187

-11.71%

Cappuccino

$2.87 MYR 11.68

$1.67 ฿56.5

71.86%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.38

$0.64 ฿21.53

29.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.31 ฿10.30

45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 MYR 13.56

$2.36 ฿79.5

41.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 MYR 22.87

$3.66 ฿124

53.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.08

$1.95 ฿65.7

-10.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.17

$1.44 ฿48.45

-29.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.04

$1.33 ฿45.01

11.28%

Eggs

$1.66 MYR 6.75

$2.28 ฿77.0

-27.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 MYR 39.26

$16.45 ฿555

-41.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.20 MYR 13.03

$2.78 ฿93.8

15.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.61 MYR 39.11

$9.31 ฿314

3.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 MYR 13.91

$2.35 ฿79.4

45.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 MYR 6.91

$0.97 ฿32.78

75.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MYR 10.64

$1.60 ฿53.9

63.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.66

$1.50 ฿50.6

9.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.72

$1.28 ฿43.10

10.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.05

$1.10 ฿37.17

57.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MYR 5.57

$0.71 ฿23.81

92.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$0.49 ฿16.36

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 17.42

$4.14 ฿140

3.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 MYR 56.3

$17.52 ฿591

-21.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 MYR 11.14

$1.61 ฿54.5

70.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.16

$2.78 ฿93.9

7.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 MYR 3.39

$0.87 ฿29.29

-4.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.95 MYR 44.58

$54.1 ฿1,825

-79.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 MYR 4.11

$1.16 ฿39.03

-12.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 MYR 1.45

$0.53 ฿17.79

-32.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.03 MYR 36.76

$2.42 ฿81.7

273.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 MYR 3.49

$1.45 ฿48.87

-40.69%

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

$44.3K MYR 180.2K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

110.22%

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

$36.0K MYR 146.6K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

33.65%

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

$48.79 MYR 199

$62.2 ฿2,097

-21.52%

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

$8.16 MYR 33.23

$12.17 ฿410

-32.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.88 MYR 109

$20.12 ฿679

33.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.95 MYR 150

$37.31 ฿1,259

-0.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.55 MYR 30.73

$3.77 ฿127

100.27%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MYR 20.09

$6.49 ฿219

-24.04%

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

$235 MYR 958

$736 ฿24.8K

-68.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,393 MYR 17.9K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-70.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 MYR 206

$53.4 ฿1,800

-5.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 MYR 67.7

$24.64 ฿831

-32.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MYR 314

$91.5 ฿3,086

-15.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.4 MYR 348

$71.9 ฿2,426

18.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 MYR 1,455

$482 ฿16.3K

-25.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 MYR 1,265

$309 ฿10.4K

0.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$650 MYR 2,647

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-35.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 MYR 2,300

$633 ฿21.4K

-10.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,956 MYR 7,962

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-17.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,161 MYR 4,725

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-26.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Skudai: 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

Skudai

$311 34.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 0.6% $1.8

Groceries & Markets

Skudai

$226 25.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 3.5% $7.9

Eating Out

Skudai

$111 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 30.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Skudai

$103 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 5.1% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skudai

$84 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 12.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Skudai

$47 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 7.4% $3.5

Getting Around

Skudai

$17 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 260% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $357 in Skudai 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Skudai versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $234 – making Skudai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Skudai

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

04:04 4:04 AM

1 h behind Skudai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,733

127,240

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Skudai Chiang Mai 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Skudai
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Skudai, 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 $1,349 per month in Skudai 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 Skudai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $357 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $235 per month in Skudai and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $900 in Skudai and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Skudai – 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.

For expats, Skudai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 4% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.