Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Beihai

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $751 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Beihai
Learn more

Beihai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $751 in Beihai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Beihai $751

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,202 in Beihai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Beihai $1,202

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,653 in Beihai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Beihai $1,653

Chiang Mai costs about 25% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Beihai are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Beihai 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$3.39 ¥22.53

-33.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$21.37 ¥142

-11.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.26 ¥35.03

5.51%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.61 ¥17.34

-36.02%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.53 ¥3.55

20.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.26 ¥1.75

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.99 ¥6.62

138.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.04 ¥13.56

79.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.92 ¥12.80

1.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.55 ¥10.29

-7.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.09 ¥7.24

22.02%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.86 ¥12.37

22.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$13.67 ¥91.0

20.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.96 ¥19.73

-6.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.04 ¥73.5

-15.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.96 ¥13.05

19.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.44 ¥9.55

-32.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.37 ¥9.13

16.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.14 ¥7.60

31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.80 ¥5.29

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.84 ¥5.61

30.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.60 ¥3.99

18.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.55 ¥3.67

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.28 ¥28.45

-3.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$10.64 ¥70.8

64.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.76 ¥5.06

111.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.52 ¥10.12

82.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.31 ¥2.07

180.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$18.87 ¥126

186.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.36 ¥9.04

-14.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.29 ¥1.95

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$6.41 ¥42.67

-62.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.45 ¥9.62

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$20.1K ¥133.7K

4.82%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$15.7K ¥104.6K

71.40%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$56.6 ¥377

9.80%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$9.10 ¥60.6

33.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$11.34 ¥75.5

77.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$41.57 ¥277

-10.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.34 ¥88.8

-71.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.82 ¥45.37

-4.84%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$486 ¥3,236

51.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$20.1K ¥133.9K

-26.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$42.19 ¥281

26.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$28.87 ¥192

-14.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$75.9 ¥505

20.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$76.3 ¥508

-5.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$324 ¥2,156

48.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$203 ¥1,348

52.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$618 ¥4,115

62.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$418 ¥2,782

51.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$3,575 ¥23.8K

-33.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,823 ¥12.1K

-12.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.36

65.77%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Beihai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Beihai

$203 27% 34.4% $106

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Beihai

$206 27.5% 12% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Beihai

$100 13.4% 7.5% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Beihai

$77 10.3% 18.4% $17

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Beihai

$86 11.5% 11.3% $8.8

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Beihai

$23 3.1% 62.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Beihai

$55 7.4% 9.8% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $324 in Beihai. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $21 in Beihai. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $206 in Beihai – so Beihai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Beihai

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

14:28 2:28 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,617,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Beihai 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Beihai

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 Beihai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 25% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,126 in Beihai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beihai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $324 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $21 in Beihai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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