Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $590 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
Learn more

Hangzhou Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $985 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Hangzhou $985

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,533 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Hangzhou $1,533

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,080 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Hangzhou $2,080

Chiang Mai is about 5% cheaper than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Hangzhou are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Hangzhou 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.73 ¥24.85

-39.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$26.03 ¥174

-27.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.68 ¥31.20

18.59%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.48 ¥23.22

-52.01%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.61 ¥4.06

4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.33 ¥2.21

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.22 ¥8.10

93.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.23 ¥14.85

64.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.84 ¥12.24

5.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.61 ¥10.74

-10.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.10 ¥7.34

20.91%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.11 ¥14.04

8.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$19.06 ¥127

-13.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.74 ¥24.94

-25.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.29 ¥68.6

-9.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.32 ¥15.46

1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.34 ¥8.94

-27.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.52 ¥10.13

5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.53 ¥10.21

-1.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.94 ¥6.24

36.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.94 ¥6.28

17.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.63 ¥4.19

12.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.55 ¥3.66

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.02 ¥26.80

2.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$13.38 ¥89.2

30.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.77 ¥5.13

109.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.65 ¥11.00

68.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.47 ¥3.14

85.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$17.73 ¥118

205.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.96 ¥13.07

-40.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.38 ¥2.55

39.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.98 ¥46.55

-65.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.32 ¥8.77

9.85%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$19.7K ¥131.5K

6.75%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$18.4K ¥122.5K

46.55%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$48.04 ¥320

29.41%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.04 ¥66.9

21.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$15.02 ¥100

33.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$52.8 ¥352

-29.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$20.00 ¥133

-81.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.55 ¥50.3

-14.04%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$577 ¥3,843

27.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$35.8K ¥238.6K

-58.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$60.2 ¥401

-11.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$42.24 ¥282

-41.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$84.0 ¥560

8.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$111 ¥737

-34.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$552 ¥3,680

-12.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$352 ¥2,345

-12.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,117 ¥7,445

-9.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$627 ¥4,177

1.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$7,668 ¥51.1K

-69.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$3,819 ¥25.5K

-58.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,582 ¥10.5K

-62.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.5

59.14%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Hangzhou

$352 35.7% 13.9% $43

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Hangzhou

$235 23.9% 0.3% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Hangzhou

$134 13.6% 23% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Hangzhou

$73 7.4% 22.6% $21

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Hangzhou

$100 10.2% 28.8% $22

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Hangzhou

$23 2.4% 61.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Hangzhou

$68 6.9% 35% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $552 in Hangzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hangzhou are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $26 in Hangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

20:46 8:46 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

10,360,000

💱 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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Hangzhou 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Hangzhou

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 Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hangzhou costs about 5% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,477 in Hangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $26 in Hangzhou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Hangzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $985 in Hangzhou. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $985 in Hangzhou. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hangzhou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.