Cost of living comparison

 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
compared to
 Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Summary

Chiang Mai is 8.2% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur.

Restaurants
pay 15.4% less in Chiang Mai
Groceries
pay 5.8% less in Chiang Mai
Transportation
pay 57.0% more in Chiang Mai
Housing
pay 23.6% less in Chiang Mai
Childcare
pay 66.1% more in Chiang Mai
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.3% less in Chiang Mai
Clothing
pay 5.7% less in Chiang Mai

The cost of childcare and transportation in Chiang Mai are more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur. Expenses including housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and clothing are lower in Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Chiang Mai instead of Kuala Lumpur, you would:

pay 15.4% less for restaurants

 
Kuala Lumpur
Chiang Mai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.54
MYR19.20
$1.75
THB57.06
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.54
MYR19.20
$7.28
THB237.77
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.84
MYR3.56
$0.65
THB21.32

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pay 5.8% less for groceries

 
Kuala Lumpur
Chiang Mai
Bread
1 loaf
$0.95
MYR4.00
$1.47
THB47.87
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.58
MYR32.03
$7.16
THB233.73
Milk (1 gallon) $7.22
MYR30.51
$5.98
THB195.36

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pay 57.0% more for transportation

 
Kuala Lumpur
Chiang Mai
Gasoline (1 gallon) $1.77
MYR7.50
$4.46
THB145.73
Monthly public transit pass $11.36
MYR48.01
$23.30
THB760.86
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $37,478.71
MYR158,441.23
$21,118.56
THB689,531.43

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pay 23.6% less for housing

 
Kuala Lumpur
Chiang Mai
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$25.27
MYR106.81
$18.20
THB594.19
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $536.30
MYR2,267.19
$388.93
THB12,698.88
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $371.69
MYR1,571.32
$233.89
THB7,636.60

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pay 66.1% more for childcare

 
Kuala Lumpur
Chiang Mai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $250.80
MYR1,060.28
$461.21
THB15,058.73
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $8,920.55
MYR37,711.63
$13,232.91
THB432,061.07

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pay 15.3% less for entertainment and sports

 
Kuala Lumpur
Chiang Mai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.09
MYR17.28
$2.26
THB73.71
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.92
MYR12.34
$1.79
THB58.32
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.09
MYR17.28
$4.37
THB142.66

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pay 5.7% less for clothing

 
Kuala Lumpur
Chiang Mai
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$57.74
MYR244.09
$55.83
THB1,822.90
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$35.00
MYR147.97
$30.29
THB989.12
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$76.75
MYR324.47
$81.56
THB2,663.02

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025
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