Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Guangzhou (Canton): $936 and $914 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 Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $914 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Guangzhou (Canton) $914

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,442 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,442

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,971 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,971

Chiang Mai and Guangzhou (Canton) have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Guangzhou (Canton) are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Guangzhou (Canton) 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.03 ¥20.11

-26.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$29.73 ¥197

-36.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.36 ¥35.57

3.54%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.19 ¥21.15

-47.65%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.54 ¥3.59

18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.36 ¥2.42

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.31 ¥8.72

80.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.75 ¥18.25

33.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.87 ¥12.43

4.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.92 ¥12.73

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.10 ¥7.28

20.91%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.56 ¥10.37

46.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$16.83 ¥112

-2.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.18 ¥34.37

-46.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.00 ¥79.6

-22.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.22 ¥14.73

5.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.25 ¥8.31

-22.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.45 ¥9.62

10.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.72 ¥11.40

-12.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.95 ¥6.29

34.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.21 ¥8.05

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.84 ¥5.57

-15.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.71 ¥4.73

-30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.91 ¥25.98

5.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.86 ¥72.1

61.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.02 ¥6.78

57.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.93 ¥12.78

44.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.44 ¥2.91

97.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$18.29 ¥121

195.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.77 ¥11.73

-34.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.40 ¥2.65

32.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$7.21 ¥47.88

-66.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.37 ¥9.08

5.84%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$19.7K ¥130.9K

6.77%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$17.8K ¥118.4K

51.07%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$60.4 ¥401

2.98%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$16.16 ¥107

-24.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$14.47 ¥96.1

39.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$70.9 ¥470

-47.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.27 ¥81.4

-69.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.53 ¥43.32

-0.61%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$1,612 ¥10.7K

-54.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$24.7K ¥163.8K

-40.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$48.97 ¥325

8.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$40.73 ¥270

-39.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$82.1 ¥545

11.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$71.3 ¥473

0.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$509 ¥3,376

-5.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$270 ¥1,789

14.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,224 ¥8,123

-17.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$500 ¥3,321

26.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$8,271 ¥54.9K

-71.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$3,705 ¥24.6K

-57.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,269 ¥8,421

-53.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.38

64.79%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$270 29.5% 12.7% $39

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$242 26.5% 3.2% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 12% 0.7% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 10% 3.7% $3.5

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$94 10.3% 21.5% $17

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$24 2.6% 61.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$84 9.2% 66.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $509 in Guangzhou (Canton). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Guangzhou (Canton) are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $30 in Guangzhou (Canton). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $242 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

23:16 11:16 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

14,043,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Guangzhou (Canton) 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,371 in Guangzhou (Canton). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $509 in Guangzhou (Canton). The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $30 in Guangzhou (Canton). That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $914 in Guangzhou (Canton), leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.