Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $726 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $726 in Chengdu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Chengdu $726

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,170 in Chengdu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Chengdu $1,170

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,614 in Chengdu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Chengdu $1,614

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Chengdu are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Chengdu 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.92 ¥19.41

-23.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$22.28 ¥148

-14.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.85 ¥32.24

14.43%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.00 ¥19.92

-44.33%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.51 ¥3.39

25.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.26 ¥1.73

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.51 ¥10.05

56.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.28 ¥15.18

60.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.85 ¥12.27

5.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.49 ¥9.87

-3.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.99 ¥6.57

34.34%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.61 ¥10.68

41.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$14.31 ¥95.1

14.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.64 ¥24.22

-23.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.02 ¥73.3

-15.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.90 ¥12.60

23.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.39 ¥9.22

-30.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.04 ¥6.90

53.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.20 ¥7.96

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.74 ¥4.90

72.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.69 ¥4.56

59.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.64 ¥4.23

10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.58 ¥3.83

-15.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.69 ¥24.50

12.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.37 ¥29.05

300.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.84 ¥5.58

91.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.48 ¥9.81

87.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.29 ¥1.93

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$25.23 ¥168

114.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.33 ¥8.82

-12.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.31 ¥2.07

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.37 ¥29.04

-44.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.27 ¥8.47

14.17%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$19.6K ¥130.5K

7.19%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$18.0K ¥119.9K

49.28%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$46.65 ¥310

33.27%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.40 ¥62.5

29.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$12.87 ¥85.5

56.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$27.11 ¥180

37.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$11.21 ¥74.5

-66.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.17 ¥40.97

5.19%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$1,161 ¥7,714

-36.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$15.3K ¥101.4K

-3.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$25.36 ¥169

110.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$27.52 ¥183

-10.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$57.1 ¥380

60.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$53.2 ¥353

35.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$425 ¥2,826

13.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$231 ¥1,538

33.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$755 ¥5,020

33.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$478 ¥3,174

32.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,476 ¥23.1K

-32.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,845 ¥12.3K

-13.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,278 ¥8,491

-53.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.38

64.79%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Chengdu

$231 31.9% 25.1% $77

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Chengdu

$195 26.8% 16.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Chengdu

$73 10.1% 32.4% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Chengdu

$69 9.5% 27% $26

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Chengdu

$89 12.3% 14.8% $12

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Chengdu

$29 4% 52.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Chengdu

$39 5.4% 21.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $425 in Chengdu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chengdu 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 $22 in Chengdu. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $195 in Chengdu – so Chengdu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

11:35 11:35 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

20,937,757

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Chengdu 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Chengdu

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 Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $726 in Chengdu – Chengdu comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,090 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $425 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $22 in Chengdu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $726 in Chengdu. That makes Chengdu about 22% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $726 in Chengdu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $726 in Chengdu to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.