Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bozhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Bozhou: $678 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Bozhou
Learn more

Bozhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Bozhou

🇨🇳 China

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $678 in Bozhou.

Chiang Mai $938
Bozhou $678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $1,083 in Bozhou.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Bozhou $1,083

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $1,487 in Bozhou.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Bozhou $1,487

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 38% more expensive than in Bozhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 30% lower, Bozhou 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$1.51 ¥10.12

49.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$22.71 ¥152

-15.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$4.37 ¥29.23

27.92%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.68 ¥17.89

-35.82%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.39 ¥2.60

64.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.27 ¥1.79

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.02 ¥6.85

131.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$1.84 ¥12.31

111.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.23 ¥8.20

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.06 ¥13.78

-32.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$0.44 ¥2.93

190.91%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$0.92 ¥6.16

144.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$14.11 ¥94.3

20.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$2.18 ¥14.60

25.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$10.63 ¥71.1

-11.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.21 ¥8.12

98.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.06 ¥7.09

-4.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.74 ¥4.95

117.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.73 ¥4.87

108.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.46 ¥3.09

178.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.59 ¥3.94

88.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.58 ¥3.87

24.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.62 ¥4.16

-16.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.04 ¥20.30

42.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$11.81 ¥79.0

50.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.94 ¥6.28

73.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.21 ¥8.11

135.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.31 ¥2.08

174.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$17.25 ¥115

212.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.04 ¥6.93

12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.33 ¥2.19

72.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$3.52 ¥23.53

-32.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.10 ¥7.35

31.82%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

4.37%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$16.7K ¥111.5K

58.96%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$48.90 ¥327

27.46%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$4.26 ¥28.47

188.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$7.26 ¥48.54

175.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$39.29 ¥263

-3.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$14.76 ¥98.7

-74.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$3.70 ¥24.72

81.35%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$244 ¥1,631

226.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$8,547 ¥57.1K

73.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$45.42 ¥304

17.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$32.95 ¥220

-23.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$64.5 ¥431

42.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$74.9 ¥501

-1.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$309 ¥2,064

50.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$197 ¥1,320

54.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$551 ¥3,681

66.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$387 ¥2,590

42.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$3,746 ¥25.0K

-48.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,918 ¥12.8K

-25.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$748 ¥4,999

-20.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.15

76.83%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bozhou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Bozhou

$197 29.1% 35.2% $107

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Bozhou

$186 27.4% 22% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Bozhou

$98 14.5% 10.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Bozhou

$60 8.9% 36.1% $34

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Bozhou

$69 10.1% 13% $10

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Bozhou

$21 3.1% 65.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Bozhou

$47 6.9% 9.1% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Chiang Mai and $309 in Bozhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bozhou pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $23.00 in Bozhou. Groceries flip the comparison at $238 vs $186, with Bozhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Bozhou

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

16:42 4:42 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,537,231

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bozhou 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bozhou

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 Bozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bozhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Bozhou. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $309 in Bozhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bozhou – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $938 per month in Chiang Mai versus $678 in Bozhou – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $678 in Bozhou versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bozhou but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Bozhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bozhou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chiang Mai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Bozhou are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.