Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beihai and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $730 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Beihai
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Beihai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$730

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $730 per month in Beihai vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Beihai $730
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,169 per month in Beihai vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Beihai $1,169
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,609 per month in Beihai vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Beihai $1,609
Chiang Mai $1,903

Beihai is about 21% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Beihai and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Beihai 46% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 ¥20.54

$2.29 ฿76.5

34.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.04 ¥147

$19.64 ฿656

12.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 ¥35.22

$5.61 ฿188

-6.06%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ¥18.64

$1.66 ฿55.6

68.07%

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

$0.50 ¥3.37

$0.70 ฿23.40

-28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.31 ฿10.24

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 ¥7.31

$2.41 ฿80.4

-54.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥13.86

$3.71 ฿124

-44.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.95 ฿65.3

-5.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.97

$1.41 ฿47.03

16.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.73

$1.31 ฿43.62

-22.90%

Eggs

$1.65 ¥11.05

$2.18 ฿72.9

-24.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 ¥87.7

$16.65 ฿556

-21.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ¥21.99

$2.76 ฿92.2

19.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ¥74.8

$9.11 ฿304

22.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 ¥12.33

$2.39 ฿80.0

-23.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$1.03 ฿34.26

23.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.94

$1.63 ฿54.4

-8.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.71

$1.50 ฿50.0

-13.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.05

$1.29 ฿43.13

-41.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.94

$1.11 ฿37.03

-19.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$0.72 ฿24.08

-18.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.53 ฿17.59

1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥25.45

$4.31 ฿144

-11.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.36 ¥76.0

$17.95 ฿600

-36.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$1.58 ฿52.9

-48.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.79

$2.84 ฿95.0

-43.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.86 ฿28.86

-63.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.21 ¥122

$53.3 ฿1,780

-65.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.76

$1.21 ฿40.29

20.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.57 ฿18.99

-42.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.13 ¥47.70

$2.35 ฿78.6

203.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.44 ฿47.96

-9.03%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-5.35%

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

$17.1K ¥114.5K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-36.12%

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

$56.6 ¥378

$62.3 ฿2,083

-9.27%

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

$8.64 ¥57.8

$12.11 ฿405

-28.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.24 ¥75.2

$19.94 ฿666

-43.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.94 ¥274

$37.07 ฿1,239

10.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 ¥99.4

$3.78 ฿126

293.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.31 ¥42.17

$6.50 ฿217

-2.92%

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

$426 ¥2,847

$793 ฿26.5K

-46.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ¥118.4K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

19.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.93 ¥287

$53.7 ฿1,796

-20.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.91 ¥220

$24.62 ฿823

33.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 ¥491

$90.9 ฿3,036

-19.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.5 ¥505

$71.1 ฿2,378

6.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ¥1,999

$455 ฿15.2K

-34.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ¥1,222

$298 ฿9,954

-38.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 ¥4,152

$908 ฿30.4K

-31.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ¥2,495

$554 ฿18.5K

-32.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,506 ¥23.4K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

81.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,974 ¥13.2K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

36.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 Beihai: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Beihai

$207 28.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 13.7% $28

Accommodation & Living

Beihai

$183 25%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 63% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Beihai

$101 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 6.9% $7

Eating Out

Beihai

$87 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 9.3% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beihai

$76 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 23.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Beihai

$54 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.5% $3.5

Getting Around

Beihai

$23 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 169% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $299 in Beihai versus $455 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 $22.00 in Beihai versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $207 in Beihai vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Beihai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beihai

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

17:50 5:50 PM

1 h behind Beihai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,617,500

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

Beihai Chiang Mai 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Beihai
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 27% more than Beihai, 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 $1,095 per month in Beihai and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beihai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Beihai and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beihai, where all-in costs run around $730, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Beihai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Beihai costs $730 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Beihai. 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.