Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Chuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chuzhou: $706 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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 Chuzhou
Learn more

Chuzhou Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Chuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $706 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Chuzhou $706

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,124 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Chuzhou $1,124

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,543 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Chuzhou $1,543

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Chuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Chuzhou are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Chuzhou 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$2.21 ¥14.72

-3.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$22.33 ¥149

-16.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$4.98 ¥33.15

12.45%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.21 ¥14.71

-24.89%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$0.50 ¥3.33

30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.27 ¥1.82

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$0.44 ¥2.90

427.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$1.51 ¥10.09

143.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.49 ¥9.90

35.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$2.11 ¥14.03

-33.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$0.92 ¥6.11

51.09%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.36 ¥9.04

74.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$10.53 ¥70.1

56.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$2.96 ¥19.69

-9.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$8.98 ¥59.8

0.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.09 ¥13.94

14.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$1.26 ¥8.37

-17.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.72 ¥11.43

-3.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.12 ¥7.44

39.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$0.87 ¥5.78

42.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$0.97 ¥6.48

12.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.94 ¥6.25

-19.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.56 ¥3.71

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.79 ¥25.22

8.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$13.36 ¥89.0

34.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$0.93 ¥6.22

74.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.56 ¥10.38

80.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.31 ¥2.08

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$17.82 ¥119

196.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$1.70 ¥11.32

-30.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$0.41 ¥2.76

-58.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$8.86 ¥59.1

-79.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.33 ¥8.84

10.53%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$19.5K ¥129.6K

7.97%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$17.7K ¥117.6K

50.21%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$54.6 ¥363

14.64%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$7.93 ¥52.8

46.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$7.14 ¥47.56

184.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$41.82 ¥279

-9.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$14.76 ¥98.3

-74.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$6.09 ¥40.59

6.90%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$431 ¥2,869

68.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$22.8K ¥151.6K

-27.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$43.11 ¥287

24.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$34.62 ¥231

-28.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$65.4 ¥435

38.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$89.0 ¥593

-19.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$284 ¥1,890

69.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$190 ¥1,263

63.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$599 ¥3,990

76.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$372 ¥2,475

77.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$3,217 ¥21.4K

-24.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,982 ¥13.2K

-18.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.42

62.87%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chuzhou: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Chuzhou

$190 26.8% 38.8% $120

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Chuzhou

$198 28.1% 16.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Chuzhou

$104 14.8% 3.6% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Chuzhou

$70 9.9% 26.3% $25

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Chuzhou

$67 9.6% 12% $9.2

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Chuzhou

$23 3.2% 61.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Chuzhou

$54 7.7% 6.1% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $284 in Chuzhou. 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 Chuzhou. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $198 in Chuzhou – so Chuzhou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Chuzhou

🕒 Local time

00:52 12:52 AM

01:52 1:52 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,987,054

💱 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 = 0.134 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.46 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Chuzhou 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Chuzhou

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 Chuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Chuzhou, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,059 in Chuzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chuzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $284 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $431 in Chuzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Chuzhou, where all-in costs run around $706, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Chuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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