Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Haikou

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $813 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $813 in Haikou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Haikou $813

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,165 in Haikou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Haikou $1,165

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,516 in Haikou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Haikou $1,516

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Haikou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Haikou are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Haikou 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.49 ¥29.83

-50.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$14.88 ¥98.9

27.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.93 ¥39.40

-6.41%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.50 ¥16.59

-33.20%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.84 ¥5.58

-23.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.37 ¥2.44

-16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.52 ¥10.07

55.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.77 ¥18.41

32.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.12 ¥14.10

-8.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.41 ¥9.37

2.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.69 ¥4.59

92.75%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.37 ¥9.11

66.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.97 ¥26.39

-29.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.52 ¥103

-40.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.75 ¥11.62

34.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.93 ¥6.20

4.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.09 ¥7.26

46.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.94 ¥6.23

59.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.86 ¥5.72

48.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.74 ¥4.89

48.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.43 ¥2.88

65.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.56 ¥3.72

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.17 ¥21.08

30.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.01 ¥59.9

94.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.62 ¥4.14

159.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.17 ¥7.76

137.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.86 ¥5.70

1.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$54.9 ¥365

-1.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$2.29 ¥15.23

-49.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.47 ¥3.13

12.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.27 ¥8.46

14.17%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$36.44 ¥242

70.61%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$13.45 ¥89.4

-9.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$13.72 ¥91.2

46.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$46.34 ¥308

-19.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.51 ¥43.24

-42.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.62 ¥30.70

40.48%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$871 ¥5,787

-15.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$19.7K ¥131.1K

-25.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$27.29 ¥181

95.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$35.76 ¥238

-31.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$44.30 ¥294

106.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$38.38 ¥255

87.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$370 ¥2,460

30.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$294 ¥1,954

5.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$571 ¥3,796

76.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$374 ¥2,485

69.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,265 ¥21.7K

-27.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,136 ¥14.2K

-25.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$715 ¥4,750

-17.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.85

44.68%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Haikou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Haikou

$294 36.2% 4.8% $15

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Haikou

$169 * 20.8% 27.7% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Haikou

$66 8.1% 39.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Haikou

$64 7.8% 32.7% $31

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Haikou

$102 12.5% 31% $24

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Haikou

$63 7.8% 2.7% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Haikou

$56 6.8% 10.5% $5.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $370 in Haikou. 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 21% higher in Haikou, 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 $15 in Haikou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $169 – making Haikou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Haikou

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,873,358

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Haikou 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Haikou

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 Haikou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Haikou, 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 $1,219 in Haikou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Haikou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $370 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $15 in Haikou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $813 in Haikou, 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 $813 in Haikou to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.