Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jiaozuo

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaozuo: $670 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Jiaozuo
Learn more

Jiaozuo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Jiaozuo

🇨🇳 China

$670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $670 in Jiaozuo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Jiaozuo $670

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,044 in Jiaozuo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Jiaozuo $1,044

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,418 in Jiaozuo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Jiaozuo $1,418

Chiang Mai costs about 40% more than Jiaozuo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Jiaozuo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Jiaozuo 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$1.89 ¥12.57

12.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$16.42 ¥109

13.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$4.57 ¥30.41

22.54%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.28 ¥15.21

-27.19%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$0.42 ¥2.79

54.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.26 ¥1.72

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$0.84 ¥5.59

176.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$1.54 ¥10.23

138.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.55 ¥10.31

30.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.61 ¥10.73

-12.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$0.69 ¥4.61

101.45%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$0.98 ¥6.55

141.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$8.44 ¥56.2

95.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$2.51 ¥16.72

6.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$8.05 ¥53.6

12.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.18 ¥7.85

103.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$0.99 ¥6.58

5.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.59 ¥3.92

181.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.61 ¥4.07

155.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$0.51 ¥3.39

143.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$0.46 ¥3.07

136.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.39 ¥2.60

94.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.74 ¥4.92

-31.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.57 ¥17.13

60.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$9.72 ¥64.8

84.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$0.65 ¥4.35

149.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.01 ¥13.42

40.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.29 ¥1.90

220.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$17.65 ¥118

199.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$1.51 ¥10.06

-21.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$0.29 ¥1.91

-41.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$3.65 ¥24.31

-50.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$0.93 ¥6.18

58.06%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$19.2K ¥127.7K

9.57%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$17.2K ¥114.8K

53.86%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$61.5 ¥409

1.81%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$6.96 ¥46.38

66.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$8.73 ¥58.2

132.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$57.6 ¥384

-34.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$15.07 ¥100

-75.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$4.09 ¥27.21

59.17%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$180 ¥1,197

304.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$21.4K ¥142.6K

-22.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$43.66 ¥291

22.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$33.38 ¥222

-25.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$73.9 ¥493

22.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$66.0 ¥440

9.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$289 ¥1,926

66.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$184 ¥1,228

68.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$600 ¥3,998

76.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$360 ¥2,395

83.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$2,506 ¥16.7K

-3.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,988 ¥13.2K

-19.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$569 ¥3,792

4.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.29

69.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Jiaozuo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Jiaozuo

$184 27.5% 40.5% $126

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Jiaozuo

$157 23.5% 33.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Jiaozuo

$98 14.6% 9.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Jiaozuo

$77 11.5% 18.3% $17

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Jiaozuo

$66 9.9% 13.6% $10

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Jiaozuo

$22 3.2% 63% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Jiaozuo

$66 9.8% 29.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $289 in Jiaozuo. 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 4% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $16 in Jiaozuo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $157 – making Jiaozuo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Jiaozuo

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

03:10 3:10 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,539,860

💱 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 = 0.134 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.46 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Jiaozuo 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Jiaozuo

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 Jiaozuo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 40% more than Jiaozuo, 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 $1,005 in Jiaozuo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jiaozuo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $289 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $180 in Jiaozuo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

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