Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankang and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankang: $725 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Ankang
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Ankang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ankang

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $725 per month in Ankang vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ankang $725
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,132 per month in Ankang vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ankang $1,132
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,540 per month in Ankang vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ankang $1,540
Chiang Mai $1,914

Ankang is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ankang and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ankang 46% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.47 ¥9.81

$2.26 ฿75.4

-34.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.99 ¥100

$19.18 ฿641

-21.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.91 ¥19.46

$5.59 ฿187

-47.94%

Cappuccino

$2.15 ¥14.39

$1.72 ฿57.6

25.00%

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

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.64 ฿21.54

-32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.33 ฿11.18

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 ¥10.03

$2.36 ฿78.7

-36.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$3.90 ฿130

-62.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$2.05 ฿68.6

-28.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥11.37

$1.40 ฿46.70

21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$1.28 ฿42.89

-29.69%

Eggs

$1.49 ¥9.98

$2.25 ฿75.3

-33.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 ¥76.3

$16.94 ฿566

-32.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 ¥27.53

$2.74 ฿91.6

50.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 ¥69.2

$9.36 ฿313

10.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 ¥11.34

$2.40 ฿80.3

-29.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.67

$1.01 ฿33.92

13.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$1.61 ฿53.9

-22.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.44

$1.52 ฿50.7

-17.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.52

$1.28 ฿42.90

-46.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.61

$1.11 ฿37.22

-37.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.72 ฿24.09

-19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.68

$0.52 ฿17.54

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ¥22.15

$4.33 ฿145

-23.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 ¥66.1

$17.73 ฿593

-44.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.19

$1.63 ฿54.4

-52.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$2.85 ฿95.3

-41.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ¥2.12

$0.85 ฿28.31

-62.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.21 ¥115

$53.9 ฿1,801

-68.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$1.17 ฿39.18

6.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.57 ฿19.00

-49.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 ¥29.16

$2.37 ฿79.2

83.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥9.08

$1.45 ฿48.32

-6.21%

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

$19.3K ¥129.3K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-5.52%

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

$17.5K ¥117.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-34.00%

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

$89.3 ¥597

$62.3 ฿2,083

43.33%

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

$3.26 ¥21.79

$12.27 ฿410

-73.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.61 ¥70.9

$19.97 ฿668

-46.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.85 ¥300

$37.91 ฿1,267

18.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.11 ¥87.7

$3.76 ฿126

248.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 ¥37.99

$6.71 ฿224

-15.35%

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

$679 ¥4,540

$797 ฿26.6K

-14.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ¥115.2K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

16.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.44 ¥264

$53.3 ฿1,780

-25.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.19 ¥249

$25.05 ฿837

48.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 ¥498

$91.6 ฿3,062

-18.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 ¥618

$73.5 ฿2,455

25.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ¥2,002

$464 ฿15.5K

-35.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ¥1,220

$305 ฿10.2K

-40.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ¥4,117

$915 ฿30.6K

-32.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,582

$552 ฿18.5K

-30.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,279 ¥21.9K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

71.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,225 ¥14.9K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

54.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

5.57

-39.86%

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

Last update for Ankang: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ankang

$193 26.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 23.2% $45

Accommodation & Living

Ankang

$182 25.2%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 67% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Ankang

$110 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 0% $0

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankang

$103 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 8.4% $8.6

Eating Out

Ankang

$60 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 32.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ankang

$56 7.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 8.7% $4.9

Getting Around

Ankang

$21 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 190% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $299 in Ankang 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Ankang versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $238 – making Ankang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Ankang

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

13:19 1:19 PM

1 h behind Ankang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

894,853

127,240

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ankang Chiang Mai 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ankang
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

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,088 per month in Ankang 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 Ankang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 213% less in Ankang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $679 per month in Ankang and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ankang, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Ankang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ankang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Ankang. 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.