Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bozhou and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bozhou: $678 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Bozhou
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Bozhou Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bozhou

🇨🇳 China

$678

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $678 in Bozhou versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Bozhou $678
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,083 in Bozhou versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Bozhou $1,083
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,487 in Bozhou versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Bozhou $1,487
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Bozhou costs roughly 28% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bozhou 50% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.51 ¥10.12

$2.26 ฿75.4

-33.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.71 ¥152

$19.18 ฿641

18.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.37 ¥29.23

$5.59 ฿187

-21.82%

Cappuccino

$2.68 ¥17.89

$1.72 ฿57.6

55.81%

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

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.64 ฿21.54

-39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.33 ฿11.18

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ¥6.85

$2.36 ฿78.7

-56.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ¥12.31

$3.90 ฿130

-52.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.20

$2.05 ฿68.6

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 ¥13.78

$1.40 ฿46.70

47.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$1.28 ฿42.89

-65.63%

Eggs

$0.92 ¥6.16

$2.25 ฿75.3

-59.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.11 ¥94.3

$16.94 ฿566

-16.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.18 ¥14.60

$2.74 ฿91.6

-20.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 ¥71.1

$9.36 ฿313

13.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.12

$2.40 ฿80.3

-49.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.09

$1.01 ฿33.92

4.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.95

$1.61 ฿53.9

-54.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$1.52 ฿50.7

-51.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$1.28 ฿42.90

-64.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$1.11 ฿37.22

-46.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.87

$0.72 ฿24.09

-19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.52 ฿17.54

19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.30

$4.33 ฿145

-29.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 ¥79.0

$17.73 ฿593

-33.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥6.28

$1.63 ฿54.4

-42.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 ¥8.11

$2.85 ฿95.3

-57.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.85 ฿28.31

-63.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.25 ¥115

$53.9 ฿1,801

-68.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ¥6.93

$1.17 ฿39.18

-11.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.57 ฿19.00

-42.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ¥23.53

$2.37 ฿79.2

48.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥7.35

$1.45 ฿48.32

-24.14%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-4.19%

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

$16.7K ¥111.5K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-37.09%

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

$48.90 ¥327

$62.3 ฿2,083

-21.55%

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

$4.26 ¥28.47

$12.27 ฿410

-65.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.26 ¥48.54

$19.97 ฿668

-63.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.29 ¥263

$37.91 ฿1,267

3.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$3.76 ฿126

292.55%

Cinema Ticket

$3.70 ¥24.72

$6.71 ฿224

-44.86%

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

$244 ¥1,631

$797 ฿26.6K

-69.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,547 ¥57.1K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-42.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.42 ¥304

$53.3 ฿1,780

-14.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.95 ¥220

$25.05 ฿837

31.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.5 ¥431

$91.6 ฿3,062

-29.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.9 ¥501

$73.5 ฿2,455

1.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 ¥2,064

$464 ฿15.5K

-33.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 ¥1,320

$305 ฿10.2K

-35.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$551 ¥3,681

$915 ฿30.6K

-39.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 ¥2,590

$552 ฿18.5K

-29.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,746 ¥25.0K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

95.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,918 ¥12.8K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

33.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$748 ¥4,999

$595 ฿19.9K

25.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

5.57

-43.45%

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

Last update for Bozhou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bozhou

$197 29.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 54.3% $107

Groceries & Markets

Bozhou

$186 27.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 28.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Bozhou

$98 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 11.7% $12

Eating Out

Bozhou

$69 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 14.9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bozhou

$60 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 56.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Bozhou

$47 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 10% $4.7

Getting Around

Bozhou

$21 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 190% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $309 in Bozhou and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bozhou pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Bozhou vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $186 vs $238, with Bozhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Bozhou

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

14:39 2:39 PM

1 h behind Bozhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,537,231

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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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Bozhou
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

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

Bozhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Bozhou, 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: $309 in Bozhou versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bozhou – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $678 per month in Bozhou versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $678 in Bozhou versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bozhou but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Bozhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bozhou 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, Bozhou 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 Bozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.