Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chenzhou and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chenzhou: $721 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
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Chenzhou Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $721 per month in Chenzhou vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chenzhou $721
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,197 per month in Chenzhou vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chenzhou $1,197
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,674 per month in Chenzhou vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chenzhou $1,674
Chiang Mai $1,979

Chenzhou is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chenzhou and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Chenzhou 47% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ¥20.15

$2.24 ฿75.7

35.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.13 ¥147

$19.00 ฿642

16.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥32.33

$5.55 ฿188

-12.43%

Cappuccino

$1.54 ¥10.24

$1.67 ฿56.6

-7.78%

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

$0.51 ¥3.41

$0.64 ฿21.56

-20.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.31 ฿10.32

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ¥8.58

$2.36 ฿79.6

-45.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.59

$3.66 ฿124

-48.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 ¥13.09

$1.95 ฿65.8

1.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 ¥15.83

$1.44 ฿48.51

65.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.23

$1.33 ฿45.07

-40.60%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$2.28 ฿77.1

-24.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 ¥87.5

$16.45 ฿556

-20.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ¥27.47

$2.78 ฿94.0

48.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.0

$9.31 ฿314

24.27%

Apples (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$2.35 ฿79.5

-74.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.82

$0.97 ฿32.82

21.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$1.60 ฿53.9

-54.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.89

$1.50 ฿50.7

-20.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.49

$1.28 ฿43.15

-24.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.24

$1.10 ฿37.22

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.71 ฿23.84

-14.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.23

$0.49 ฿16.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ¥20.08

$4.14 ฿140

-27.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.71 ¥84.6

$17.52 ฿592

-27.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ¥6.91

$1.61 ฿54.5

-35.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.45

$2.78 ฿94.0

-43.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.87 ฿29.33

-64.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.40 ¥103

$54.1 ฿1,827

-71.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.09

$1.16 ฿39.08

31.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.53 ฿17.82

-45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 ¥30.59

$2.42 ฿81.8

90.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.59

$1.45 ฿48.93

-11.03%

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

$19.3K ¥128.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-8.42%

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

$17.4K ¥115.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-35.50%

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

$56.3 ¥375

$62.2 ฿2,100

-9.41%

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

$8.94 ¥59.5

$12.17 ฿411

-26.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.27 ¥75.0

$20.12 ฿680

-43.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.59 ¥283

$37.31 ฿1,260

14.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.67 ¥97.6

$3.77 ฿127

289.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 ¥43.13

$6.49 ฿219

-0.15%

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

$329 ¥2,188

$736 ฿24.9K

-55.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥112.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

14.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 ¥561

$53.4 ฿1,802

57.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.01 ¥233

$24.64 ฿832

42.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 ¥593

$91.5 ฿3,089

-2.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ¥392

$71.9 ฿2,429

-18.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,061

$482 ฿16.3K

-35.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ¥1,086

$309 ฿10.4K

-47.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 ¥3,885

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-41.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 ¥2,753

$633 ฿21.4K

-34.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,531 ¥23.5K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

49.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ¥12.8K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

20.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.57

-37.88%

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

Last update for Chenzhou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chenzhou

$215 29.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 8.9% $19

Accommodation & Living

Chenzhou

$163 22.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 89.3% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Chenzhou

$120 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 9.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chenzhou

$77 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 23.4% $18

Eating Out

Chenzhou

$71 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 9.8% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Chenzhou

$56 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 9.5% $5.3

Getting Around

Chenzhou

$20 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 213% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $310 in Chenzhou 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chenzhou versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Chenzhou vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Chenzhou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

21:03 9:03 PM

1 h behind Chenzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,667,134

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 = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chenzhou Chiang Mai 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chenzhou
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $721 in Chenzhou, $936 in Chiang Mai – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,081 per month in Chenzhou 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 Chenzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $310 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Chenzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Chenzhou and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $721 in Chenzhou and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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