Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Baoji

For one person, living is cheaper in Baoji: $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
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Chiang Mai Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Baoji
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Baoji Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Baoji

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $710 in Baoji.

Chiang Mai $936
Baoji $710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,140 in Baoji.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Baoji $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,571 in Baoji.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Baoji $1,571

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 32% more expensive than in Baoji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Baoji 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.72 ¥18.07

-17.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$11.77 ¥78.3

61.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.42 ¥29.44

25.57%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.09 ¥13.89

-20.10%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.29 ¥1.93

120.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.29 ¥1.95

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.46 ¥9.71

61.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$1.48 ¥9.84

147.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.43 ¥9.50

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.74 ¥11.58

-17.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.84 ¥5.57

58.33%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.87 ¥5.76

162.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$11.57 ¥77.0

42.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.01 ¥26.69

-30.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.66 ¥70.9

-12.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.63 ¥10.86

44.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.12 ¥7.45

-13.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.24 ¥8.23

29.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.34 ¥8.89

11.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.66 ¥4.38

93.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.73 ¥4.88

50.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.62 ¥4.13

14.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.58 ¥3.89

-15.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.36 ¥22.33

23.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$9.49 ¥63.2

84.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.80 ¥5.35

101.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.69 ¥11.24

64.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.29 ¥1.93

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$16.72 ¥111

223.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.29 ¥8.59

-10.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.29 ¥1.90

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$4.47 ¥29.78

-45.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.29 ¥8.60

12.40%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$19.7K ¥131.0K

7.01%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$18.1K ¥120.3K

49.00%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$90.5 ¥602

-31.29%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$6.32 ¥42.09

92.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$10.91 ¥72.6

84.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$39.00 ¥260

-4.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.41 ¥109

-77.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.78 ¥38.45

12.28%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$684 ¥4,549

7.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$17.8K ¥118.2K

-16.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$38.84 ¥258

37.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$37.99 ¥253

-35.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$74.0 ¥493

23.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$90.3 ¥601

-20.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$284 ¥1,887

70.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$159 ¥1,059

94.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$592 ¥3,937

70.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$416 ¥2,769

52.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,853 ¥19.0K

-17.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,714 ¥11.4K

-7.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.35

66.27%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Baoji: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Baoji

$159 22.4% 48.5% $150

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Baoji

$191 26.9% 18.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Baoji

$109 15.3% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Baoji

$108 15.2% 14% $13

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Baoji

$73 10.2% 6.4% $4.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Baoji

$21 2.9% 66.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Baoji

$51 7.1% 0.6% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $284 in Baoji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $12 in Baoji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $191 per month, with Baoji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Baoji

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

15:32 3:32 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,438,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Baoji 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Baoji

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 Baoji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baoji is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,065 in Baoji to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $284 in Baoji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baoji runs roughly 69% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $684 in Baoji. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Baoji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.