Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baiquan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Baiquan: $729 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baiquan
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Baiquan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Baiquan

🇨🇳 China

$729

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $729 in Baiquan versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Baiquan $729
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,151 in Baiquan versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Baiquan $1,151
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,574 in Baiquan versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Baiquan $1,574
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Baiquan costs roughly 22% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baiquan 46% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.84 ¥18.96

$2.26 ฿75.4

25.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.15 ¥135

$19.18 ฿641

5.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥33.35

$5.59 ฿187

-10.73%

Cappuccino

$2.76 ¥18.48

$1.72 ฿57.6

60.47%

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

$0.50 ¥3.35

$0.64 ฿21.54

-21.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.33 ฿11.18

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ¥7.13

$2.36 ฿78.7

-54.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ¥13.93

$3.90 ฿130

-46.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ¥11.94

$2.05 ฿68.6

-12.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥9.99

$1.40 ฿46.70

6.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$1.28 ฿42.89

-24.22%

Eggs

$1.76 ¥11.75

$2.25 ฿75.3

-21.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 ¥90.7

$16.94 ฿566

-19.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.55

$2.74 ฿91.6

6.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.54 ¥63.8

$9.36 ฿313

1.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.21

$2.40 ฿80.3

-11.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.69

$1.01 ฿33.92

43.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.79

$1.61 ฿53.9

-18.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.52 ฿50.7

-14.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ¥4.37

$1.28 ฿42.90

-49.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$1.11 ฿37.22

-17.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$0.72 ฿24.09

-18.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$0.52 ฿17.54

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 ¥21.67

$4.33 ฿145

-25.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 ¥74.8

$17.73 ฿593

-36.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.20

$1.63 ฿54.4

-52.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.48

$2.85 ฿95.3

-44.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.85 ฿28.31

-65.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.29 ¥116

$53.9 ฿1,801

-67.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 ¥11.02

$1.17 ฿39.18

41.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.33

$0.57 ฿19.00

-38.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 ¥49.36

$2.37 ฿79.2

211.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.45 ฿48.32

-13.79%

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

$18.2K ¥121.5K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-11.23%

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

$15.5K ¥103.4K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-41.69%

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

$54.4 ¥363

$62.3 ฿2,083

-12.79%

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

$9.68 ¥64.7

$12.27 ฿410

-21.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.50 ¥70.2

$19.97 ฿668

-47.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.83 ¥246

$37.91 ฿1,267

-2.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.25 ¥109

$3.76 ฿126

332.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 ¥40.35

$6.71 ฿224

-10.13%

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

$450 ¥3,008

$797 ฿26.6K

-43.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ¥112.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

13.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.80 ¥326

$53.3 ฿1,780

-8.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.35 ¥250

$25.05 ฿837

49.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 ¥537

$91.6 ฿3,062

-12.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 ¥531

$73.5 ฿2,455

8.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,971

$464 ฿15.5K

-36.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 ¥1,252

$305 ฿10.2K

-38.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$697 ¥4,660

$915 ฿30.6K

-23.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ¥2,379

$552 ฿18.5K

-35.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,812 ¥25.5K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

99.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,827 ¥12.2K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

26.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.57

-39.68%

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

Last update for Baiquan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Baiquan

$202 27.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 17.9% $36

Accommodation & Living

Baiquan

$187 25.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 62.6% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Baiquan

$111 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 1% $1.1

Eating Out

Baiquan

$84 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 5.4% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baiquan

$75 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 26.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Baiquan

$49 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 5% $2.4

Getting Around

Baiquan

$22 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 181% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $295 in Baiquan and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20.00 in Baiquan vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $202 vs $238, with Baiquan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Baiquan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

14:39 2:39 PM

1 h behind Baiquan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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

Baiquan Chiang Mai 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Baiquan
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

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

Baiquan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,093 in Baiquan and $1,408 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $295 in Baiquan versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $450 in Baiquan versus $797 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $729 in Baiquan versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Baiquan but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Baiquan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Baiquan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chiang Mai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Baiquan and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baiquan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.