Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Heyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $792 in Heyuan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Heyuan $792

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,284 in Heyuan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Heyuan $1,284

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,776 in Heyuan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Heyuan $1,776

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Heyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Heyuan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Heyuan 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$3.06 ¥20.44

-25.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$29.30 ¥196

-32.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.34 ¥35.68

5.06%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.06 ¥20.47

-45.75%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.58 ¥3.87

20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.34 ¥2.25

-8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.36 ¥9.11

77.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.75 ¥18.38

34.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.79 ¥11.95

8.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.91 ¥12.75

-26.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.11 ¥7.39

18.02%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.52 ¥10.19

43.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$16.29 ¥109

2.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$5.14 ¥34.37

-46.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$12.23 ¥81.8

-25.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.29 ¥15.28

4.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.22 ¥8.18

-15.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.38 ¥9.22

18.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.78 ¥11.89

-15.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.96 ¥6.40

34.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.18 ¥7.92

-5.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.83 ¥5.55

-13.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.66 ¥4.44

-19.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.90 ¥26.04

10.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$10.64 ¥71.1

68.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.02 ¥6.79

54.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.90 ¥12.71

49.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.31 ¥2.10

177.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$17.71 ¥118

200.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.84 ¥12.32

-34.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.43 ¥2.89

32.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$7.19 ¥48.04

-67.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.33 ¥8.88

8.27%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$19.2K ¥128.1K

8.23%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$17.7K ¥118.6K

51.06%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$61.4 ¥410

1.58%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$16.39 ¥110

-26.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$14.49 ¥96.9

37.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$41.17 ¥275

-9.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$15.11 ¥101

-74.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.54 ¥43.72

-0.61%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$422 ¥2,823

87.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$24.4K ¥163.4K

-39.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$49.24 ¥329

9.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$41.47 ¥277

-40.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$81.1 ¥542

12.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$69.9 ¥467

1.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$303 ¥2,026

50.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$182 ¥1,218

63.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$623 ¥4,165

45.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$375 ¥2,507

47.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$3,487 ¥23.3K

-44.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,937 ¥13.0K

-25.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,362 ¥9,104

-56.61%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Heyuan

$182 23% 38.8% $116

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Heyuan

$239 30.1% 1.3% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Heyuan

$109 13.7% 0.6% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Heyuan

$92 11.6% 2.3% $2.1

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Heyuan

$93 11.8% 18.6% $15

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Heyuan

$23 2.9% 62.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Heyuan

$54 6.9% 8.4% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $303 in Heyuan. 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 130% higher in Heyuan, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $29.00 in Heyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $239 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🕒 Local time

22:47 10:47 PM

23:47 11:47 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,953,019

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Heyuan 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Heyuan

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 Heyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Heyuan, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,188 in Heyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Heyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $422 in Heyuan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Heyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Heyuan costs $792 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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