Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bengbu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bengbu: $666 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Bengbu
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Bengbu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bengbu

🇨🇳 China

$666

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $666 in Bengbu versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Bengbu $666
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,043 in Bengbu versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Bengbu $1,043
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,420 in Bengbu versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Bengbu $1,420
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Bengbu costs roughly 29% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bengbu 51% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.31 ¥15.42

$2.26 ฿75.4

2.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.50 ¥70.2

$19.18 ฿641

-45.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ¥31.80

$5.59 ฿187

-14.85%

Cappuccino

$3.15 ¥21.08

$1.72 ฿57.6

83.14%

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

$0.47 ¥3.16

$0.64 ฿21.54

-26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.33 ฿11.18

-24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ¥9.67

$2.36 ฿78.7

-38.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.74

$3.90 ฿130

-43.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ¥14.56

$2.05 ฿68.6

6.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ¥6.82

$1.40 ฿46.70

-27.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.85

$1.28 ฿42.89

-43.75%

Eggs

$1.32 ¥8.82

$2.25 ฿75.3

-41.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ¥69.7

$16.94 ฿566

-38.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ¥20.30

$2.74 ฿91.6

10.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ¥60.2

$9.36 ฿313

-3.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.03

$2.40 ฿80.3

-37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.13

$1.01 ฿33.92

5.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$1.61 ฿53.9

-5.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$1.52 ฿50.7

-48.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.28 ฿42.90

-51.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$1.11 ฿37.22

-43.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ¥5.09

$0.72 ฿24.09

5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.52 ฿17.54

-17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ¥19.56

$4.33 ฿145

-32.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 ¥40.82

$17.73 ฿593

-65.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.11

$1.63 ฿54.4

-53.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ¥9.86

$2.85 ฿95.3

-48.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.85 ฿28.31

-63.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.48 ¥137

$53.9 ฿1,801

-62.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.17 ฿39.18

37.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.57

$0.57 ฿19.00

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.15 ¥61.2

$2.37 ฿79.2

286.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.66

$1.45 ฿48.32

-11.03%

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

$19.2K ¥128.4K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-6.22%

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

$16.6K ¥111.2K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-37.25%

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

$36.70 ¥245

$62.3 ฿2,083

-41.12%

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

$5.39 ¥36.01

$12.27 ฿410

-56.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.07 ¥47.24

$19.97 ฿668

-64.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.28 ¥276

$37.91 ฿1,267

8.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.25 ¥109

$3.76 ฿126

332.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 ¥40.07

$6.71 ฿224

-10.73%

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

$417 ¥2,788

$797 ฿26.6K

-47.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K ¥147.9K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

49.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.41 ¥290

$53.3 ฿1,780

-18.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.77 ¥226

$25.05 ฿837

34.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.1 ¥442

$91.6 ฿3,062

-27.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ¥592

$73.5 ฿2,455

20.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,969

$464 ฿15.5K

-36.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ¥1,209

$305 ฿10.2K

-40.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 ¥3,920

$915 ฿30.6K

-35.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 ¥2,334

$552 ฿18.5K

-36.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,507 ¥23.4K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

83.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,194 ¥14.7K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

52.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$668 ¥4,468

$595 ฿19.9K

12.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

5.57

-38.60%

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

Last update for Bengbu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bengbu

$181 27.2%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 68.5% $124

Groceries & Markets

Bengbu

$168 25.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 41.8% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Bengbu

$104 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 5% $5.2

Eating Out

Bengbu

$85 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 7.1% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Bengbu

$53 8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 3.6% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bengbu

$49 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 92.4% $45

Getting Around

Bengbu

$25 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 143% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $294 in Bengbu and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bengbu pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11.00 in Bengbu vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $168 vs $238 per month, with Bengbu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Bengbu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

16:17 4:17 PM

1 h behind Bengbu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,296,408

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

Bengbu Chiang Mai 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bengbu
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

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

Bengbu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Bengbu, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $294 in Bengbu versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $417 in Bengbu 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 42% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $666 in Bengbu versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bengbu but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Bengbu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bengbu 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, Bengbu 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 Bengbu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.