Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Guizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Guizhou: $603 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Guizhou
Learn more

Guizhou Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Guizhou

🇨🇳 China

$603

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $603 in Guizhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Guizhou $603

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $972 in Guizhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Guizhou $972

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,340 in Guizhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Guizhou $1,340

Chiang Mai costs about 55% more than Guizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Guizhou are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Guizhou 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.68 ¥17.82

-16.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$21.33 ¥142

-10.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.59 ¥37.20

-0.72%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.80 ¥18.63

-40.36%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.47 ¥3.10

36.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.25 ¥1.65

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.77 ¥5.11

206.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.83 ¥12.19

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.84 ¥12.26

5.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.79 ¥11.92

-19.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.80 ¥5.35

66.25%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.91 ¥12.70

19.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.69 ¥51.2

113.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.77 ¥31.77

-41.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.93 ¥72.8

-14.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.09 ¥13.93

12.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.61 ¥10.71

-39.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.52 ¥10.14

5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.43 ¥9.51

4.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.68 ¥4.54

88.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.78 ¥5.19

41.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.36 ¥2.37

97.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.54 ¥3.59

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.95 ¥19.60

40.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.58 ¥50.4

131.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.80 ¥5.29

101.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.18 ¥7.86

135.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.38 ¥2.54

128.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$27.31 ¥182

98.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.48 ¥9.87

-21.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.29 ¥1.91

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$5.13 ¥34.13

-52.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.26 ¥8.38

15.08%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$18.4K ¥122.7K

14.18%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$16.3K ¥108.3K

65.59%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$29.56 ¥197

110.32%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.40 ¥42.61

90.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$6.06 ¥40.34

232.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$22.89 ¥152

63.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$11.89 ¥79.1

-68.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.65 ¥50.9

-15.16%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$251 ¥1,671

193.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$11.4K ¥75.6K

29.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$33.71 ¥224

58.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$22.38 ¥149

10.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$73.7 ¥490

24.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$42.86 ¥285

67.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$266 ¥1,768

81.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$138 ¥917

124.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$387 ¥2,575

159.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$244 ¥1,625

159.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,815 ¥12.1K

30.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,090 ¥7,253

45.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$698 ¥4,643

-15.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.4

63.82%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guizhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Guizhou

$138 22.9% 55.4% $171

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Guizhou

$193 32.1% 17.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Guizhou

$78 12.9% 28.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Guizhou

$42 7% 55.5% $52

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Guizhou

$82 13.6% 5.9% $4.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Guizhou

$32 5.3% 48.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Guizhou

$38 6.3% 24.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $266 in Guizhou. 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 18% higher in Guizhou, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $21 in Guizhou. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $193 in Guizhou – so Guizhou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Guizhou

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

01:48 1:48 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 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 = 0.135 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Guizhou 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Guizhou

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 Guizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 55% more than Guizhou, 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 $904 in Guizhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guizhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $266 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $251 in Guizhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.