Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baoding and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Baoding: $710 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Baoding
Learn more

Baoding Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Baoding

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $710 per month in Baoding vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Baoding $710
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,110 per month in Baoding vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Baoding $1,110
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,510 per month in Baoding vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Baoding $1,510
Chiang Mai $1,979

Baoding is about 24% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Baoding and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Baoding 48% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.75 ¥11.69

$2.24 ฿75.7

-21.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.65 ¥118

$19.00 ฿642

-7.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥33.22

$5.55 ฿188

-10.27%

Cappuccino

$1.32 ¥8.78

$1.67 ฿56.6

-20.96%

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

$0.51 ¥3.38

$0.64 ฿21.56

-20.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 ¥1.40

$0.31 ฿10.32

-32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.15

$2.36 ฿79.6

-67.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 ¥8.28

$3.66 ฿124

-66.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥10.08

$1.95 ฿65.8

-22.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥11.76

$1.44 ฿48.51

22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.82

$1.33 ฿45.07

-45.86%

Eggs

$0.82 ¥5.45

$2.28 ฿77.1

-64.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.62 ¥97.5

$16.45 ฿556

-11.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.83 ¥12.23

$2.78 ฿94.0

-34.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.34 ¥48.90

$9.31 ฿314

-21.16%

Apples (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.11

$2.35 ฿79.5

-67.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.97 ฿32.82

-36.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ¥13.42

$1.60 ฿53.9

25.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.50 ฿50.7

-58.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 ¥2.91

$1.28 ฿43.15

-65.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.87

$1.10 ฿37.22

-47.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ¥4.71

$0.71 ฿23.84

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$0.49 ฿16.38

-10.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 ¥29.34

$4.14 ฿140

6.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.19 ¥94.6

$17.52 ฿592

-19.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.61 ฿54.5

-63.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 ¥7.08

$2.78 ฿94.0

-61.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$0.87 ฿29.33

-73.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.29 ¥122

$54.1 ฿1,827

-66.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.19

$1.16 ฿39.08

18.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.17

$0.53 ฿17.82

-37.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.48 ¥49.88

$2.42 ฿81.8

209.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$1.45 ฿48.93

-18.62%

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

$19.6K ¥130.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-7.07%

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

$18.3K ¥121.8K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-32.16%

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

$59.6 ¥397

$62.2 ฿2,100

-4.20%

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

$4.45 ¥29.66

$12.17 ฿411

-63.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.48 ¥29.86

$20.12 ฿680

-77.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 ¥279

$37.31 ฿1,260

11.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.46 ¥89.7

$3.77 ฿127

257.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.33 ¥35.53

$6.49 ฿219

-17.87%

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

$431 ¥2,872

$736 ฿24.9K

-41.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

62.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 ¥478

$53.4 ฿1,802

34.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.93 ¥273

$24.64 ฿832

66.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 ¥578

$91.5 ฿3,089

-5.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ¥855

$71.9 ฿2,429

78.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 ¥1,933

$482 ฿16.3K

-39.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ¥1,260

$309 ฿10.4K

-38.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$609 ¥4,061

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-39.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ¥2,398

$633 ฿21.4K

-43.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,255 ¥21.7K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

37.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,964 ¥13.1K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

23.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,288 ¥8,585

$590 ฿19.9K

118.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

5.57

-43.99%

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

Last update for Baoding: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baoding

$189 26.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 63.4% $120

Groceries & Markets

Baoding

$177 24.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 32.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Baoding

$147 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 26.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baoding

$68 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 37.9% $26

Eating Out

Baoding

$54 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 43.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Baoding

$52 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 4.1% $2.2

Getting Around

Baoding

$22 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 176% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $290 in Baoding 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 in Baoding are about 2.2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Baoding versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $234 – making Baoding the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Baoding

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

18:56 6:56 PM

1 h behind Baoding

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,437,217

127,240

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baoding Chiang Mai 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Baoding
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $710 in Baoding, $936 in Chiang Mai – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,066 per month in Baoding 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 Baoding, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Baoding. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $431 per month in Baoding and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $710 in Baoding and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Baoding is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 32% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.