Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Chifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Chifeng: $719 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Chifeng
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Chifeng Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Chifeng

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $719 in Chifeng, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Chifeng $719

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,137 in Chifeng, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Chifeng $1,137

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,555 in Chifeng, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Chifeng $1,555

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Chifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.73 ¥18.20

-17.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$21.77 ¥145

-12.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.83 ¥32.16

14.91%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.96 ¥19.71

-43.58%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.43 ¥2.87

48.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.29 ¥1.95

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.94 ¥6.29

151.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.14 ¥14.23

71.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.78 ¥11.82

9.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.59 ¥10.58

-9.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.91 ¥6.04

46.15%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.61 ¥10.69

41.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$12.99 ¥86.4

26.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.27 ¥21.76

-14.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.31 ¥68.6

-9.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.81 ¥12.04

29.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.22 ¥8.09

-20.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.48 ¥9.86

8.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.15 ¥7.67

30.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.74 ¥4.91

72.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.90 ¥5.97

22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.57 ¥3.78

24.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.51 ¥3.39

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.20 ¥21.32

29.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$10.35 ¥68.9

69.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.74 ¥4.92

117.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.63 ¥10.87

70.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.29 ¥1.93

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$16.79 ¥112

222.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.43 ¥9.52

-18.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.36 ¥2.37

47.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.67 ¥44.37

-63.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.13 ¥7.49

28.32%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$19.2K ¥127.9K

9.58%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$17.0K ¥112.9K

58.84%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$45.63 ¥304

36.25%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.91 ¥66.0

22.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$11.82 ¥78.6

70.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$42.41 ¥282

-12.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$14.10 ¥93.8

-73.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.86 ¥38.98

10.75%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$329 ¥2,192

123.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$17.1K ¥113.5K

-13.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$44.42 ¥296

20.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$30.68 ¥204

-19.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$73.2 ¥487

24.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$71.8 ¥478

0.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$275 ¥1,832

75.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$195 ¥1,300

58.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$585 ¥3,894

71.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$360 ¥2,398

75.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,050 ¥20.3K

-22.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,069 ¥13.8K

-23.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.89

43.19%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chifeng: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Chifeng

$195 27.2% 36.8% $114

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Chifeng

$198 27.6% 15.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Chifeng

$99 13.8% 8.8% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Chifeng

$67 9.4% 28.7% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Chifeng

$84 11.7% 8% $6.2

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Chifeng

$21 2.9% 65.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Chifeng

$54 7.5% 7.6% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $275 in Chifeng. 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 $22 in Chifeng. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $198 in Chifeng – so Chifeng wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Chifeng

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

02:00 2:00 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,175,391

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Chifeng 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Chifeng

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 Chifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Chifeng, 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 $1,078 in Chifeng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chifeng, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $275 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $329 in Chifeng. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Families tend to lean toward Chifeng – 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.