Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Datong

For one person, living is cheaper in Datong: $709 a month against $936 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 Datong
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Datong Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Datong

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $709 in Datong, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Datong $709

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,127 in Datong, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Datong $1,127

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,545 in Datong, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Datong $1,545

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.74 ¥18.23

-18.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$21.65 ¥144

-12.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.98 ¥33.15

11.45%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.95 ¥19.65

-43.39%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.46 ¥3.08

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.27 ¥1.77

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.88 ¥5.88

168.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.03 ¥13.50

80.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.80 ¥11.99

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.55 ¥10.28

-7.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.96 ¥6.36

38.54%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.61 ¥10.71

41.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$13.09 ¥87.1

25.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.23 ¥21.48

-13.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.09 ¥67.1

-7.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.81 ¥12.01

29.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.20 ¥8.01

-19.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.50 ¥9.98

6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.14 ¥7.57

31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.73 ¥4.87

75.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.92 ¥6.12

19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.56 ¥3.70

26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.51 ¥3.42

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.10 ¥20.62

33.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$10.40 ¥69.2

68.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.76 ¥5.05

111.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.64 ¥10.91

69.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.27 ¥1.77

222.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$16.53 ¥110

227.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.41 ¥9.35

-17.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.35 ¥2.35

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.70 ¥44.57

-63.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.17 ¥7.80

23.93%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$19.4K ¥129.2K

8.50%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$17.2K ¥114.2K

57.02%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$45.68 ¥304

36.10%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.63 ¥64.1

26.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$11.68 ¥77.8

72.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$41.21 ¥274

-9.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.73 ¥91.4

-72.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.87 ¥39.05

10.56%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$337 ¥2,242

118.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$17.0K ¥113.2K

-13.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$43.28 ¥288

23.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$30.52 ¥203

-19.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$72.2 ¥480

26.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$72.7 ¥484

-1.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$274 ¥1,821

76.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$189 ¥1,257

63.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$594 ¥3,955

69.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$358 ¥2,383

76.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,019 ¥20.1K

-21.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,019 ¥13.4K

-21.31%

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 Datong: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Datong

$189 26.6% 38.9% $120

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Datong

$198 27.9% 15.7% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Datong

$98 13.9% 9.4% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Datong

$67 9.5% 29.1% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Datong

$84 11.8% 7.9% $6.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Datong

$21 2.9% 66.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Datong

$53 7.5% 5.3% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $274 in Datong. 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 Datong. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $198 in Datong – so Datong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Datong

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

07:12 7:12 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,318,057

💱 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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Between locations

Chiang Mai Datong 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Datong

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 Datong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Datong, 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 $1,064 in Datong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Datong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $274 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $337 in Datong. 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 Datong, where all-in costs run around $709, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Datong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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