Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dalian

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Dalian: $936 and $917 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $917 in Dalian, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Dalian $917

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,453 in Dalian, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Dalian $1,453

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,989 in Dalian, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Dalian $1,989

Chiang Mai and Dalian have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Dalian are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Dalian 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$3.66 ¥24.37

-38.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$25.01 ¥166

-24.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.38 ¥35.83

3.16%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.43 ¥22.82

-51.31%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.48 ¥3.19

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.23 ¥1.52

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.99 ¥6.57

138.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$1.51 ¥10.05

142.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.64 ¥10.91

18.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.50 ¥9.95

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.95 ¥6.33

40.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.57 ¥10.47

45.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$20.12 ¥134

-18.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.50 ¥23.32

-20.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.81 ¥85.2

-27.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.28 ¥8.55

83.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.09 ¥7.25

-11.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.97 ¥13.08

-18.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.89 ¥5.94

68.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.89 ¥5.92

43.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.69 ¥4.58

59.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.31 ¥8.71

-45.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.63 ¥4.19

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.83 ¥25.46

8.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$15.01 ¥99.9

16.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.12 ¥7.46

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.86 ¥12.36

49.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.29 ¥1.92

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$29.71 ¥198

82.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.54 ¥10.25

-24.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.43 ¥2.86

23.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$4.24 ¥28.23

-42.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.27 ¥8.44

14.17%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$19.2K ¥127.7K

9.70%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$17.3K ¥115.3K

55.45%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$66.0 ¥439

-5.77%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$9.51 ¥63.3

27.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$13.65 ¥90.8

47.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$40.42 ¥269

-7.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$36.60 ¥244

-89.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.94 ¥46.21

-6.48%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$403 ¥2,679

82.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$20.6K ¥137.1K

-28.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$76.0 ¥505

-29.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$55.9 ¥372

-55.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$112 ¥746

-18.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$121 ¥808

-40.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$406 ¥2,703

18.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$238 ¥1,583

29.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$701 ¥4,667

43.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$450 ¥2,992

40.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,636 ¥17.5K

-10.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,644 ¥10.9K

-3.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,077 ¥7,169

-45.25%

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 Dalian: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Dalian

$238 26% 23% $71

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Dalian

$239 26.1% 2.1% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Dalian

$164 17.9% 51.3% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dalian

$89 9.7% 5.6% $5.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Dalian

$97 10.6% 25.5% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Dalian

$35 3.8% 43.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Dalian

$54 5.9% 8% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $406 in Dalian. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 83% higher in Dalian. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $25 in Dalian. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $239 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Dalian

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,450,785

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 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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Between locations

Chiang Mai Dalian 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dalian

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 Dalian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,375 in Dalian. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dalian, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Dalian. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $25 in Dalian. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $917 in Dalian, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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