Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Anqing

For one person, living is cheaper in Anqing: $636 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Anqing
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Anqing Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Anqing

🇨🇳 China

$636

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Anqing

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Anqing actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $636 in Anqing, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Anqing $636

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,001 in Anqing, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Anqing $1,001

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,366 in Anqing, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Anqing $1,366

Chiang Mai costs about 45% more than Anqing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Anqing are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Anqing 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$2.56 ¥17.13

-10.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$20.24 ¥135

-2.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.92 ¥39.59

-5.24%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.14 ¥14.33

-22.43%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.44 ¥2.91

59.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.23 ¥1.54

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.02 ¥6.84

136.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$1.33 ¥8.91

178.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.96 ¥6.45

103.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.49 ¥9.98

-5.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.94 ¥6.31

39.36%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$0.92 ¥6.13

136.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$13.13 ¥87.8

26.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$3.68 ¥24.63

-25.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$11.36 ¥75.9

-19.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.23 ¥14.92

7.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.25 ¥8.37

-17.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.46 ¥9.74

11.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.14 ¥7.62

31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.77 ¥5.17

67.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.81 ¥5.42

37.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.34 ¥2.29

111.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.36 ¥2.39

47.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$6.81 ¥45.55

-36.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$11.91 ¥79.6

50.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$0.78 ¥5.24

102.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.47 ¥9.81

93.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.92 ¥6.16

31.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.24 ¥1.60

137.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$2.92 ¥19.51

-19.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.23 ¥8.19

17.07%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$19.2K ¥128.6K

7.76%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$17.9K ¥119.5K

49.96%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$58.0 ¥388

7.54%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$8.59 ¥57.5

40.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$8.93 ¥59.7

123.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$74.2 ¥496

-50.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$15.09 ¥101

-74.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$5.17 ¥34.59

25.73%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$225 ¥1,504

252.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$12.2K ¥81.5K

21.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$25.89 ¥173

107.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$20.70 ¥138

18.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$79.0 ¥528

14.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$33.23 ¥222

114.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$193 ¥1,290

136.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$134 ¥896

122.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$355 ¥2,372

156.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$242 ¥1,620

128.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$12.9K ¥86.0K

-84.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$6,495 ¥43.4K

-77.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$779 ¥5,206

-24.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

85.67%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Anqing: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Anqing

$134 21.1% 55% $164

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Anqing

$194 30.5% 17.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Anqing

$71 11.2% 33.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Anqing

$75 11.9% 20% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Anqing

$74 11.7% 5.3% $4.2

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Anqing

$2.1 * 0.3% 96.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Anqing

$85 13.3% 68.9% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $193 in Anqing. 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 Anqing, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $20.00 in Anqing. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $194 in Anqing – so Anqing wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Anqing

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

01:45 1:45 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,165,284

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Anqing 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Anqing

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $925 in Chiang Mai, $636 in Anqing – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $955 in Anqing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Anqing, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $20.00 in Anqing. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anqing, where all-in costs run around $636, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Anqing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $636 in Anqing to $925 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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