Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jiujiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiujiang: $779 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Jiujiang
Learn more

Jiujiang Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Jiujiang

🇨🇳 China

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $779 in Jiujiang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Jiujiang $779

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,243 in Jiujiang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Jiujiang $1,243

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,707 in Jiujiang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Jiujiang $1,707

Chiang Mai costs about 20% more than Jiujiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Jiujiang are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Jiujiang 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.57 ¥17.12

-12.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$22.11 ¥147

-14.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.42 ¥29.43

25.57%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.76 ¥18.36

-39.49%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.50 ¥3.32

28.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.27 ¥1.77

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.02 ¥6.80

131.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$1.97 ¥13.12

85.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.61 ¥10.74

21.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.97 ¥13.08

-26.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.82 ¥5.43

62.20%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.90 ¥12.63

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$13.82 ¥91.9

19.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.80 ¥31.97

-42.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.30 ¥75.2

-17.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.32 ¥15.42

1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.73 ¥11.54

-43.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.70 ¥11.32

-5.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.53 ¥10.21

-1.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.86 ¥5.74

48.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.99 ¥6.60

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.78 ¥5.19

-8.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.71 ¥4.74

-30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.92 ¥19.44

41.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$11.82 ¥78.7

48.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.94 ¥6.25

71.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.94 ¥12.89

43.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.32 ¥2.12

171.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$15.89 ¥106

240.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.19 ¥7.90

-2.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.32 ¥2.15

65.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$3.59 ¥23.87

-32.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.34 ¥8.92

8.21%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$19.1K ¥127.2K

10.20%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$16.6K ¥110.5K

62.27%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$48.35 ¥322

28.58%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$9.24 ¥61.5

31.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$11.84 ¥78.8

69.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$35.99 ¥240

3.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.93 ¥86.0

-70.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.49 ¥43.21

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$244 ¥1,625

201.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$8,750 ¥58.2K

68.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$90.7 ¥604

-41.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$33.26 ¥221

-25.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$64.4 ¥429

42.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$96.0 ¥639

-25.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$311 ¥2,067

55.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$202 ¥1,346

52.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$663 ¥4,415

51.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$394 ¥2,619

60.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$3,031 ¥20.2K

-22.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,011 ¥13.4K

-21.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$607 ¥4,041

-2.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.15

76.83%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jiujiang: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Jiujiang

$202 26% 34.5% $107

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Jiujiang

$231 29.7% 1.5% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Jiujiang

$128 16.4% 17.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Jiujiang

$69 8.9% 26.5% $25

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Jiujiang

$79 10.2% 1.9% $1.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Jiujiang

$20 2.6% 67.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Jiujiang

$49 6.3% 2.6% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $311 in Jiujiang. 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 3% higher in Jiujiang, 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 $22 in Jiujiang. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $231 in Jiujiang – so Jiujiang wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Jiujiang

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

13:27 1:27 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,728,778

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Jiujiang 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Jiujiang

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 Jiujiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 20% more than Jiujiang, 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 $1,168 in Jiujiang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jiujiang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $311 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $22 in Jiujiang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 71% less in Jiujiang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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