Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Longyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Longyan: $465 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Longyan
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Longyan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Longyan

🇨🇳 China

$465

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $465 in Longyan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Longyan $465

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $754 in Longyan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Longyan $754

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,044 in Longyan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Longyan $1,044

Chiang Mai costs about 101% more than Longyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Longyan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Longyan 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.94 ¥19.51

-23.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$22.79 ¥151

-16.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.93 ¥32.77

12.58%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.29 ¥15.22

-27.07%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.44 ¥2.91

45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.29 ¥1.95

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.87 ¥5.76

171.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.63 ¥10.81

124.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.01 ¥13.33

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.47 ¥9.75

-2.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.77 ¥5.12

72.73%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.52 ¥10.08

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.62 ¥50.7

115.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.19 ¥14.56

26.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.46 ¥62.9

-1.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.84 ¥12.22

27.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.33 ¥8.87

-27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.78 ¥11.80

-10.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.08 ¥7.21

38.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.91 ¥6.04

40.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.01 ¥6.70

8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.47 ¥3.12

51.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.51 ¥3.41

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.44 ¥22.84

20.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$12.20 ¥81.1

43.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.77 ¥5.10

109.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.22 ¥8.13

127.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.15 ¥1.00

480.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.02 ¥6.78

13.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.51 ¥3.37

3.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$7.38 ¥49.03

-67.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.33 ¥8.86

9.02%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$19.5K ¥129.5K

8.08%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$15.6K ¥103.7K

72.66%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$67.6 ¥449

-8.01%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$15.77 ¥105

-22.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$8.78 ¥58.4

129.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$4.39 ¥29.16

-14.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.56 ¥50.3

-14.15%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$213 ¥1,417

245.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$11.9K ¥79.3K

23.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$29.53 ¥196

80.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$15.14 ¥101

62.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$73.7 ¥490

24.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$98.6 ¥655

-27.04%

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

$370 ¥2,459

171.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,375 ¥9,136

15.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$492 ¥3,266

19.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.46

60.98%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Longyan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Longyan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Longyan

$179 38.6% 23.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Longyan

$98 21% 10.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Longyan

$92 19.8% 2.5% $2.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Longyan

$76 16.4% 1.7% $1.3

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Longyan

$4.2 * 0.9% 93.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Longyan

$15 * 3.3% 69.9% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 20% 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 $23 in Longyan. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $179 in Longyan – so Longyan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Longyan

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

12:00 12:00 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,559,545

💱 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 = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Longyan 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Longyan

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 Longyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 101% more than Longyan, 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 $697 in Longyan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $23 in Longyan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $465 in Longyan, 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 $465 in Longyan to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Longyan. 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.