Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benxi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Benxi: $692 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Benxi
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Benxi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Benxi

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $692 per month in Benxi vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Benxi $692
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $991 per month in Benxi vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Benxi $991
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,291 per month in Benxi vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Benxi $1,291
Chiang Mai $1,979

Benxi is about 26% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Benxi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Benxi 49% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ¥20.19

$2.24 ฿75.6

35.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.33 ¥148

$19.00 ฿641

17.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.25

$5.55 ฿187

-4.32%

Cappuccino

$2.40 ¥15.98

$1.67 ฿56.5

43.71%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.64 ฿21.55

-20.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.89

$0.31 ฿10.31

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 ¥4.84

$2.36 ฿79.6

-69.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.69

$3.66 ฿124

-51.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.28

$1.95 ฿65.8

-5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ¥8.08

$1.44 ฿48.48

-15.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.60

$1.33 ฿45.04

-36.84%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.65

$2.28 ฿77.1

-29.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.00 ¥66.4

$16.45 ฿555

-39.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.85 ¥18.92

$2.78 ฿93.9

2.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 ¥59.3

$9.31 ฿314

-4.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.74

$2.35 ฿79.4

-31.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.17

$0.97 ฿32.80

42.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.76

$1.60 ฿53.9

1.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.12

$1.50 ฿50.6

-8.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.28 ฿43.12

-54.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.26

$1.10 ฿37.19

68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.09

$0.71 ฿23.82

-14.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.57

$0.49 ฿16.37

40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 ¥19.75

$4.14 ฿140

-28.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.24 ¥54.7

$17.52 ฿591

-52.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.85

$1.61 ฿54.5

-63.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 ¥8.30

$2.78 ฿94.0

-55.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.87 ฿29.31

-64.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.21 ¥81.1

$54.1 ฿1,826

-77.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 ¥5.84

$1.16 ฿39.06

-24.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.53 ฿17.80

-45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 ¥19.82

$2.42 ฿81.8

23.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.53

$1.45 ฿48.90

-22.07%

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

$19.8K ¥131.7K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

-5.91%

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

$18.0K ¥119.4K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-33.30%

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

$54.4 ¥361

$62.2 ฿2,098

-12.56%

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

$6.70 ¥44.51

$12.17 ฿411

-44.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.41 ¥69.2

$20.12 ฿679

-48.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.3 ¥441

$37.31 ฿1,259

77.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.31 ¥55.2

$3.77 ฿127

120.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 ¥40.08

$6.49 ฿219

-7.09%

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

$449 ¥2,985

$736 ฿24.8K

-38.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,894 ¥59.1K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-39.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.74 ¥198

$53.4 ฿1,801

-44.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.77 ¥218

$24.64 ฿831

33.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 ¥400

$91.5 ฿3,087

-34.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 ¥348

$71.9 ฿2,428

-27.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$137 ¥907

$482 ฿16.3K

-71.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ¥1,259

$309 ฿10.4K

-38.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 ¥1,711

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-74.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 ¥1,015

$633 ฿21.4K

-75.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,371 ¥22.4K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

42.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,941 ¥12.9K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

22.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$447 ¥2,971

$590 ฿19.9K

-24.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Benxi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benxi

$189 27.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 63.1% $120

Groceries & Markets

Benxi

$179 25.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 30.8% $55

Eating Out

Benxi

$79 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 2.3% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Benxi

$79 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 37.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Benxi

$78 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benxi

$71 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 32.1% $23

Getting Around

Benxi

$16 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 289% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $137 in Benxi 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 run about 32% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Benxi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $179 in Benxi vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Benxi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Benxi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

11:42 11:42 AM

1 h behind Benxi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

809,655

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 = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Benxi Chiang Mai 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Benxi
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 35% more than Benxi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,039 per month in Benxi 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 Benxi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $137 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $449 per month in Benxi and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Benxi, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Benxi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Benxi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.