Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Chenzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chenzhou: $749 a month against $935 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
Learn more

Chenzhou Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$749

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $749 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Chenzhou $749

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,189 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Chenzhou $1,189

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,629 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Chenzhou $1,629

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$3.08 ¥20.53

-30.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$22.56 ¥150

-17.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$5.05 ¥33.60

10.89%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.47 ¥9.76

12.93%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$0.51 ¥3.41

27.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.25 ¥1.65

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$1.26 ¥8.39

84.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$1.91 ¥12.74

92.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$2.04 ¥13.57

-0.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$2.32 ¥15.45

-39.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$0.79 ¥5.24

75.95%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.76 ¥11.70

34.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$12.87 ¥85.7

28.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$3.95 ¥26.30

-32.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$11.75 ¥78.3

-23.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$0.59 ¥3.91

306.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$1.17 ¥7.78

-11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$0.73 ¥4.88

127.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$1.24 ¥8.23

25.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$0.97 ¥6.49

27.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$1.54 ¥10.26

-29.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$0.65 ¥4.31

16.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.53 ¥3.52

-3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.02 ¥20.10

36.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$12.83 ¥85.4

39.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.09 ¥7.25

48.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$1.58 ¥10.51

78.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.31 ¥2.07

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$18.05 ¥120

193.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$1.53 ¥10.20

-22.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$0.31 ¥2.08

-45.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$4.53 ¥30.17

-60.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.32 ¥8.78

11.36%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$19.3K ¥128.6K

8.76%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$17.6K ¥117.4K

50.37%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$55.7 ¥371

12.26%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$8.85 ¥58.9

31.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$11.03 ¥73.5

84.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$41.62 ¥277

-8.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$14.88 ¥99.1

-75.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$6.55 ¥43.60

-0.61%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$324 ¥2,158

124.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$16.6K ¥110.4K

-0.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$82.7 ¥550

-35.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$35.51 ¥236

-30.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$87.7 ¥584

3.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$61.0 ¥406

17.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$289 ¥1,926

66.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$190 ¥1,266

63.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$616 ¥4,099

71.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$363 ¥2,416

81.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$3,251 ¥21.6K

-25.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$1,939 ¥12.9K

-17.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.46

60.98%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chenzhou: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Chenzhou

$190 25.4% 38.6% $120

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Chenzhou

$216 28.8% 8.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Chenzhou

$120 16% 10.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Chenzhou

$76 10.1% 20% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Chenzhou

$71 9.4% 7.8% $6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Chenzhou

$22 3% 61.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Chenzhou

$55 7.3% 7.5% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $289 in Chenzhou. 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 $23 in Chenzhou. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $216 in Chenzhou – so Chenzhou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,667,134

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.68 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.37 THB (100 THB = 2.68 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Chenzhou 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Chenzhou

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 Chenzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai, $749 in Chenzhou – Chenzhou comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,124 in Chenzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chenzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $289 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Chenzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $324 in Chenzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $749 in Chenzhou, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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