Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Beijing (Pekin)

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 Beijing (Pekin) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Beijing (Pekin) $1,185

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,917 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Beijing (Pekin) $1,917

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,648 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Beijing (Pekin) $2,648

Chiang Mai is about 22% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$4.53 ¥30.31

-49.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$30.16 ¥202

-34.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.36 ¥35.83

4.66%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.57 ¥23.84

-53.50%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.51 ¥3.39

37.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.28 ¥1.89

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.19 ¥7.94

102.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$1.71 ¥11.43

116.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.74 ¥11.66

12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.77 ¥11.82

-20.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.29 ¥8.61

1.55%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.95 ¥13.01

11.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$14.29 ¥95.5

16.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$3.31 ¥22.13

-16.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$11.11 ¥74.3

-18.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.12 ¥14.18

12.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.73 ¥11.56

-40.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.09 ¥13.98

-22.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.54 ¥10.30

-2.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.69 ¥4.64

86.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.91 ¥6.09

21.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.75 ¥5.04

-4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.61 ¥4.06

-13.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.27 ¥28.52

0.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$13.90 ¥93.0

29.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.02 ¥6.80

54.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.81 ¥12.09

56.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.69 ¥4.65

24.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$34.82 ¥233

53.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.90 ¥12.73

-36.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.35 ¥2.36

62.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$7.28 ¥48.68

-67.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.33 ¥8.87

8.27%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$19.6K ¥131.3K

5.58%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$18.0K ¥120.6K

48.58%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$59.1 ¥395

5.54%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$8.77 ¥58.7

38.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$14.22 ¥95.1

40.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$41.06 ¥275

-9.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$24.89 ¥166

-84.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$7.44 ¥49.74

-12.63%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$654 ¥4,375

21.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$24.0K ¥160.5K

-38.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$71.2 ¥476

-24.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$40.02 ¥268

-38.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$88.2 ¥590

2.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$127 ¥846

-43.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$945 ¥6,317

-51.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$523 ¥3,499

-43.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$2,362 ¥15.8K

-61.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$1,122 ¥7,500

-50.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$12.3K ¥82.0K

-84.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$6,446 ¥43.1K

-77.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,715 ¥11.5K

-65.55%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2% 75.7% $225

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3% 2.9% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4% 35.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9% 13.1% $12

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1% 37% $29

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 32.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7% 11.7% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $945 in Beijing (Pekin). 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 190% higher in Beijing (Pekin), which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $229 in Beijing (Pekin) – so Beijing (Pekin) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

01:30 1:30 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

21,893,095 Capital

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Beijing (Pekin) 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Beijing (Pekin)

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 Beijing (Pekin): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,778 in Beijing (Pekin). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, 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 $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $925 in Chiang Mai and $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 28%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Beijing (Pekin) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.