Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Baoding

For one person, living is cheaper in Baoding: $710 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Baoding
Learn more

Baoding Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Baoding

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Baoding actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $710 in Baoding, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Baoding $710

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,110 in Baoding, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Baoding $1,110

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,510 in Baoding, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Baoding $1,510

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Baoding, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Baoding are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Baoding 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$1.75 ¥11.69

28.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$17.65 ¥118

7.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.98 ¥33.22

11.45%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.32 ¥8.78

26.52%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.51 ¥3.38

25.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.21 ¥1.40

47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.77 ¥5.15

206.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.24 ¥8.28

195.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.51 ¥10.08

29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.76 ¥11.76

-18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.72 ¥4.82

84.72%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.82 ¥5.45

178.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$14.62 ¥97.5

12.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.83 ¥12.23

51.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.34 ¥48.90

26.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$0.77 ¥5.11

205.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.62 ¥4.13

56.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.01 ¥13.42

-20.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.62 ¥4.15

141.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.44 ¥2.91

190.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.58 ¥3.87

89.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.71 ¥4.71

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.44 ¥2.92

11.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.40 ¥29.34

-5.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$14.19 ¥94.6

23.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.59 ¥3.92

172.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.06 ¥7.08

162.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.23 ¥1.53

278.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$18.29 ¥122

195.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.38 ¥9.19

-15.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.33 ¥2.17

60.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.48 ¥49.88

-67.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.18 ¥7.90

22.88%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$19.6K ¥130.4K

7.61%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$18.3K ¥121.8K

47.41%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$59.6 ¥397

4.38%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$4.45 ¥29.66

173.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$4.48 ¥29.86

349.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$41.78 ¥279

-10.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.46 ¥89.7

-71.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.33 ¥35.53

21.76%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$431 ¥2,872

70.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$24.0K ¥160.1K

-38.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$71.8 ¥478

-25.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$40.93 ¥273

-39.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$86.7 ¥578

5.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$128 ¥855

-43.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$290 ¥1,933

66.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$189 ¥1,260

63.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$609 ¥4,061

65.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$360 ¥2,398

76.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,255 ¥21.7K

-27.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,964 ¥13.1K

-19.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,288 ¥8,585

-54.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.12

78.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Baoding: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Baoding

$189 26.6% 38.8% $120

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Baoding

$177 24.9% 24.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Baoding

$147 20.8% 35.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Baoding

$68 9.6% 27.5% $26

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Baoding

$54 7.6% 30.4% $24

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Baoding

$22 3.1% 63.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Baoding

$52 7.4% 4.3% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $290 in Baoding. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Baoding are about 2.2 times higher, 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $18 in Baoding. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $177 – making Baoding the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Baoding

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

21:00 9:00 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

11,437,217

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Baoding 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Baoding

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 Baoding: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $710 in Baoding – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,066 in Baoding. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baoding, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Baoding. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $431 in Baoding. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai and $710 in Baoding, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Baoding is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 32% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.