Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nanning

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanning: $737 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Nanning
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Nanning Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nanning

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $737 in Nanning, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nanning $737

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,176 in Nanning, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nanning $1,176

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,615 in Nanning, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nanning $1,615

Chiang Mai costs about 27% more than Nanning, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Nanning are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Nanning 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.97 ¥19.73

-24.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$20.42 ¥136

-6.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.76 ¥38.31

-3.65%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.33 ¥15.51

-28.33%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.56 ¥3.70

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.27 ¥1.78

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.88 ¥5.84

168.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.30 ¥15.29

59.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.24 ¥14.91

-12.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.23 ¥14.86

-35.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.13 ¥7.54

17.70%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.93 ¥12.85

18.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.30 ¥68.5

59.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.93 ¥26.14

-29.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.63 ¥117

-47.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.89 ¥12.57

24.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.31 ¥8.73

-25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.52 ¥10.11

5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.68 ¥11.17

-10.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.97 ¥6.45

31.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.21 ¥8.05

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.57 ¥3.80

24.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.63 ¥4.22

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.07 ¥27.10

1.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$14.93 ¥99.3

17.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.93 ¥6.22

73.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.65 ¥10.96

68.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.50 ¥3.30

74.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$15.90 ¥106

240.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.37 ¥9.13

-15.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.46 ¥3.09

15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$7.48 ¥49.76

-67.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.30 ¥8.62

11.54%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$23.2K ¥154.6K

-9.37%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$13.2K ¥88.2K

103.36%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$33.66 ¥224

84.70%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$14.52 ¥96.6

-16.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$10.84 ¥72.2

85.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$76.0 ¥506

-50.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.43 ¥49.41

-49.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.93 ¥46.14

-6.35%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$304 ¥2,020

142.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$4,423 ¥29.4K

233.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$19.68 ¥131

171.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$29.48 ¥196

-16.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$65.5 ¥436

39.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$72.4 ¥481

-0.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$251 ¥1,669

92.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$156 ¥1,036

98.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$388 ¥2,580

159.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$294 ¥1,959

115.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$3,516 ¥23.4K

-32.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,577 ¥10.5K

0.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$667 ¥4,438

-11.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.63

53.44%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nanning: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nanning

$156 21.1% 49.6% $153

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nanning

$245 33.3% 4.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nanning

$84 11.4% 22.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nanning

$59 8% 37.5% $35

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nanning

$81 11% 4.7% $3.7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nanning

$22 2.9% 64.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nanning

$90 12.2% 78.7% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $251 in Nanning. 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 13% higher in Nanning, 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 $20 in Nanning. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $245 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Nanning

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

8,741,584

💱 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 October 31, 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Nanning 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nanning

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 Nanning: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 27% more than Nanning, 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 $1,105 in Nanning. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanning, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $251 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $304 in Nanning. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $737 in Nanning, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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