Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Liaocheng

For one person, living is cheaper in Liaocheng: $655 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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 Liaocheng
Learn more

Liaocheng Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Liaocheng

🇨🇳 China

$655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $655 in Liaocheng, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Liaocheng $655

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,037 in Liaocheng, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Liaocheng $1,037

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,419 in Liaocheng, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Liaocheng $1,419

Chiang Mai costs about 43% more than Liaocheng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Liaocheng are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Liaocheng 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.49 ¥16.57

-10.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$13.23 ¥87.9

43.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.93 ¥32.79

12.58%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.86 ¥12.34

-10.22%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.36 ¥2.42

77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.23 ¥1.54

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.79 ¥5.27

198.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$1.98 ¥13.15

84.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.44 ¥9.59

35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.49 ¥9.90

-3.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.94 ¥6.22

41.49%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.12 ¥7.45

103.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$12.00 ¥79.8

37.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.03 ¥20.13

-8.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.40 ¥75.8

-18.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.43 ¥9.48

64.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.03 ¥6.83

-5.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.41 ¥9.40

13.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.10 ¥7.33

36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.61 ¥4.09

109.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.72 ¥4.81

52.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.54 ¥3.59

31.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.61 ¥4.07

-19.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.23 ¥14.85

85.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$9.88 ¥65.7

77.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.66 ¥4.37

143.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.30 ¥8.67

113.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.29 ¥1.92

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$18.76 ¥125

188.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.23 ¥8.19

-5.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.27 ¥1.81

96.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$4.55 ¥30.25

-46.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.10 ¥7.34

31.82%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$19.4K ¥128.8K

8.71%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$14.9K ¥99.3K

80.34%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$44.93 ¥299

38.37%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$5.89 ¥39.13

106.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$5.24 ¥34.83

283.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$41.79 ¥278

-10.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$14.88 ¥98.9

-74.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.54 ¥30.17

42.95%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$217 ¥1,441

239.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$19.7K ¥130.7K

-24.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$34.01 ¥226

56.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$30.18 ¥201

-18.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$70.7 ¥470

29.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$60.4 ¥401

19.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$268 ¥1,781

80.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$185 ¥1,226

67.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$619 ¥4,113

62.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$373 ¥2,482

69.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$3,174 ¥21.1K

-25.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,289 ¥8,567

23.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$588 ¥3,907

0.33%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Liaocheng: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Liaocheng

$185 28.2% 40.3% $124

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Liaocheng

$186 28.4% 20.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Liaocheng

$88 13.4% 19.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Liaocheng

$56 8.6% 40.7% $38

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Liaocheng

$67 10.3% 13.2% $10

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Liaocheng

$23 3.4% 63.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Liaocheng

$51 7.8% 1.2% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $268 in Liaocheng. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $13 in Liaocheng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $186 – making Liaocheng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Liaocheng

🕒 Local time

10:30 10:30 AM

11:30 11:30 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,230,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Chiang Mai Liaocheng 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Liaocheng

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 Liaocheng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 43% more than Liaocheng, 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 $982 in Liaocheng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Liaocheng, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $268 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $217 in Liaocheng. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

For expats, Liaocheng is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 30% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.