Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jiangmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiangmen: $514 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Jiangmen
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Jiangmen Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Jiangmen

🇨🇳 China

$514

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $514 in Jiangmen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Jiangmen $514

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,001 in Jiangmen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Jiangmen $1,001

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,489 in Jiangmen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Jiangmen $1,489

Chiang Mai costs about 82% more than Jiangmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Jiangmen are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Jiangmen 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.39 ¥22.54

-33.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$30.47 ¥203

-37.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.23 ¥34.82

6.12%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.20 ¥14.62

-24.09%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.43 ¥2.86

48.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.29 ¥1.90

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.88 ¥5.84

168.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.52 ¥10.13

140.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.61 ¥10.74

21.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.64 ¥10.91

-12.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.08 ¥7.20

23.15%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.78 ¥11.85

28.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$21.25 ¥141

-22.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.27 ¥15.13

22.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.68 ¥91.0

-31.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.14 ¥14.23

9.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.86 ¥5.72

12.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.19 ¥7.92

34.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.44 ¥9.57

4.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.69 ¥4.61

85.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.95 ¥6.33

15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.31 ¥2.06

129.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.54 ¥3.58

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.05 ¥20.30

35.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.94 ¥79.5

46.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.70 ¥4.65

130.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.81 ¥12.07

53.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.47 ¥3.10

85.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.44 ¥9.56

-19.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.38 ¥2.53

39.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$7.33 ¥48.76

-66.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.35 ¥8.98

7.41%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$19.7K ¥131.3K

6.71%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$17.0K ¥113.3K

58.22%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$49.14 ¥327

26.52%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$8.37 ¥55.7

45.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$12.52 ¥83.3

60.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$30.39 ¥202

22.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$4.52 ¥30.08

-16.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.40 ¥42.56

1.41%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$246 ¥1,636

199.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$7,413 ¥49.3K

99.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$30.30 ¥202

76.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$40.44 ¥269

-39.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$73.7 ¥491

24.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$45.73 ¥304

57.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$458 ¥3,045

119.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$274 ¥1,822

131.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$6,218 ¥41.4K

-62.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,273 ¥8,468

24.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$584 ¥3,885

1.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.35

66.27%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jiangmen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Jiangmen

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Jiangmen

$231 44.9% 1.6% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Jiangmen

$86 16.7% 21.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Jiangmen

$70 13.6% 25.9% $24

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Jiangmen

$79 15.5% 2.4% $1.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Jiangmen

$5.2 * 1% 91.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Jiangmen

$43 8.4% 14.1% $7.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $30 in Jiangmen. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $231 in Jiangmen – so Jiangmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Jiangmen

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,448,871

💱 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 Jiangmen 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Jiangmen

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 Jiangmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 82% more than Jiangmen, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $771 in Jiangmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $514 in Jiangmen. That makes Jiangmen about 45% cheaper.

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

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $514 in Jiangmen, 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 $514 in Jiangmen to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.