Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changchun and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Changchun and in Chiang Mai: $904 and $925 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$904

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $904 in Changchun versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Changchun $904
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,324 in Changchun versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Changchun $1,324
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,743 in Changchun versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Changchun $1,743
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Changchun costs roughly 2% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Changchun 33% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.02 ¥20.22

$2.29 ฿76.5

31.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.15 ¥148

$19.64 ฿656

12.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 ¥34.68

$5.61 ฿188

-7.49%

Cappuccino

$2.40 ¥16.02

$1.66 ฿55.6

44.58%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$0.70 ฿23.40

-32.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.31 ฿10.24

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.12

$2.41 ฿80.4

-49.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥12.74

$3.71 ฿124

-48.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.70

$1.95 ฿65.3

-2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ¥8.16

$1.41 ฿47.03

-13.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.65

$1.31 ฿43.62

9.92%

Eggs

$1.81 ¥12.12

$2.18 ฿72.9

-16.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$34.55 ¥231

$16.65 ฿556

107.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 ¥38.15

$2.76 ฿92.2

106.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 ¥69.3

$9.11 ฿304

13.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.51

$2.39 ฿80.0

-28.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.03 ฿34.26

40.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.05

$1.63 ฿54.4

10.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.66

$1.50 ฿50.0

26.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.95

$1.29 ฿43.13

-31.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$0.72 ฿24.08

-19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 ¥9.80

$0.53 ฿17.59

177.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.28

$4.31 ฿144

-12.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.06 ¥141

$17.95 ฿600

17.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.58 ฿52.9

-41.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ¥7.37

$2.84 ฿95.0

-61.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$0.86 ฿28.86

-48.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$1.21 ฿40.29

2.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.57 ฿18.99

-45.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ¥20.18

$2.35 ฿78.6

28.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$1.44 ฿47.96

-11.11%

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

$19.3K ¥129.3K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-6.70%

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

$17.8K ¥118.9K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-33.65%

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

$76.7 ¥513

$62.3 ฿2,083

23.01%

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

$4.43 ¥29.63

$12.11 ฿405

-63.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$19.94 ฿666

-25.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.44 ¥250

$37.07 ฿1,239

1.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.13 ¥27.59

$3.78 ฿126

9.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ¥44.42

$6.50 ฿217

2.15%

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

$553 ¥3,701

$793 ฿26.5K

-30.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ¥146.1K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

47.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 ¥493

$53.7 ฿1,796

37.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.44 ¥297

$24.62 ฿823

80.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 ¥402

$90.9 ฿3,036

-33.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 ¥466

$71.1 ฿2,378

-2.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 ¥1,446

$455 ฿15.2K

-52.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 ¥1,648

$298 ฿9,954

-17.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 ¥3,848

$908 ฿30.4K

-36.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 ¥2,057

$554 ฿18.5K

-44.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,668 ¥11.2K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-13.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,006 ¥6,728

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-30.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$961 ¥6,423

$591 ฿19.7K

62.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

5.57

-21.54%

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

Last update for Changchun: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changchun

$313 * 34.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 24.7% $77

Accommodation & Living

Changchun

$246 27.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 20.8% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Changchun

$112 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 3.1% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changchun

$96 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 1.5% $1.5

Eating Out

Changchun

$82 9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 3.6% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Changchun

$51 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 1.3% $0.7

Getting Around

Changchun

$4.5 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1239% $56

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $216 in Changchun and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changchun pays 63% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22.00 in Changchun vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $235 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changchun

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

22:04 10:04 PM

1 h behind Changchun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,066,906

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 25, 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 25, 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 →

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Between locations

Changchun Chiang Mai 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Changchun
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

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

Changchun is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and transport. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Changchun, 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: $216 in Changchun versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $553 in Changchun versus $793 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changchun – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $904 in Changchun versus $925 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changchun but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Changchun the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Changchun 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, Changchun 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 Changchun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.