Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jinan

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinan: $634 a month against $960 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Jinan
Learn more

Jinan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$960

/mo nomad

Jinan

🇨🇳 China

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $960 per month in Chiang Mai vs $634 in Jinan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $960
Jinan $634

A couple spends around $1,499 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,055 in Jinan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,499
Jinan $1,055

A family of three spends $2,037 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,475 in Jinan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $2,037
Jinan $1,475

Chiang Mai costs about 51% more than Jinan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Jinan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 28% lower, Jinan 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.12 ฿71.2

$2.51 ¥16.71

-15.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.74 ฿630

$24.44 ¥163

-23.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.39 ฿181

$4.94 ¥32.92

9.11%

Cappuccino

$1.74 ฿58.3

$2.66 ¥17.73

-34.59%

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

$0.71 ฿23.98

$0.44 ¥2.91

61.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.12

$0.21 ¥1.40

57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$0.94 ¥6.25

153.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$1.48 ¥9.90

158.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ฿67.0

$1.63 ¥10.86

22.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿48.13

$1.43 ¥9.50

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.54

$1.23 ¥8.23

10.57%

Eggs

$2.31 ฿77.6

$1.07 ¥7.12

115.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿559

$11.73 ¥78.2

41.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.80 ฿94.2

$3.25 ¥21.67

-13.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.38 ฿315

$9.87 ¥65.8

-4.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 ฿83.5

$1.38 ¥9.18

79.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 ฿35.47

$1.06 ¥7.10

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.37 ¥9.11

23.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.8

$1.11 ¥7.38

46.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.46

$0.63 ¥4.19

109.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.21

$0.69 ¥4.57

60.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ฿24.51

$0.53 ¥3.55

37.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.62

$0.63 ¥4.17

-12.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$3.81 ¥25.41

14.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.62 ฿592

$9.82 ¥65.5

79.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.2

$0.67 ¥4.50

135.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.8

$1.32 ¥8.81

111.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.90

$0.29 ¥1.92

196.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 ฿1,828

$8.98 ¥59.9

505.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.98

$1.62 ¥10.78

-24.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ฿7.31

$0.27 ¥1.81

-18.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 ฿58.9

$4.37 ¥29.11

-59.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.59

$1.32 ¥8.83

9.85%

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

$21.0K ฿705.6K

$19.7K ¥131.1K

6.81%

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

$26.7K ฿897.5K

$15.1K ¥100.4K

77.42%

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

$63.5 ฿2,133

$74.0 ¥493

-14.23%

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

$11.87 ฿399

$6.98 ¥46.57

70.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.59 ฿692

$5.02 ¥33.47

310.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.33 ฿1,456

$23.78 ¥159

82.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.68 ฿157

$8.63 ¥57.5

-45.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.62 ฿222

$5.13 ¥34.20

29.04%

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

$743 ฿25.0K

$221 ¥1,472

236.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.8K

$20.2K ¥134.6K

-17.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 ฿1,801

$34.35 ¥229

56.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 ฿848

$38.59 ¥257

-34.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 ฿3,129

$70.8 ¥472

31.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 ฿2,423

$69.9 ¥466

3.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$488 ฿16.4K

$254 ¥1,697

91.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ฿10.8K

$144 ¥962

121.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 ฿34.8K

$595 ¥3,969

74.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 ฿22.4K

$371 ¥2,475

79.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 ฿80.9K

$2,484 ¥16.6K

-3.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,647 ฿55.3K

$1,306 ¥8,710

26.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.8K

$983 ¥6,556

-40.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.13

77.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 8, 2026

Last update for Jinan: November 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$320 33.4%

Jinan

$144 22.8% 54.9% $176

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$239 24.9%

Jinan

$184 29% 23.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.5%

Jinan

$96 15.2% 12.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$96 10%

Jinan

$86 13.6% 10.4% $9.9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.1%

Jinan

$77 12.1% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$60 6.3%

Jinan

$13 2.1% 78.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$57 5.9%

Jinan

$34 5.4% 39.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $488 in Chiang Mai versus $254 in Jinan. 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 67% higher in Jinan, 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 $24 in Jinan. Groceries tell a different story – $239 in Chiang Mai vs $184 in Jinan – so Jinan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Jinan

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

18:28 6:28 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

9,202,432

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 33.6 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 11, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Jinan 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Jinan

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 Jinan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 51% more than Jinan, 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 $1,439 per month in Chiang Mai and $951 in Jinan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jinan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $488 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $743 per month in Chiang Mai and $221 in Jinan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Jinan, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Chiang Mai at $960. In Jinan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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