Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nantong

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantong: $748 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Nantong
Learn more

Nantong Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nantong

🇨🇳 China

$748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $748 in Nantong, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nantong $748

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,233 in Nantong, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nantong $1,233

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,719 in Nantong, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nantong $1,719

Chiang Mai costs about 25% more than Nantong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Nantong are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Nantong 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.97 ¥19.70

-24.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$23.82 ¥158

-20.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.44 ¥29.50

25.00%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.84 ¥18.87

-41.20%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.65 ¥4.31

-1.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.31 ¥2.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.73 ¥4.84

223.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.31 ¥15.33

58.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.58 ¥10.47

23.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.53 ¥10.18

-5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.84 ¥5.56

58.33%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.76 ¥11.69

29.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.84 ¥45.47

140.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.66 ¥24.34

-24.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.04 ¥66.7

-7.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.32 ¥15.44

1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.35 ¥9.00

-28.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.47 ¥9.77

8.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.42 ¥9.44

5.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.73 ¥4.85

75.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.93 ¥6.17

18.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.66 ¥4.39

7.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.51 ¥3.40

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.30 ¥21.91

25.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.20 ¥61.1

90.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.79 ¥5.28

103.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.70 ¥11.32

63.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.21 ¥1.39

314.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$14.81 ¥98.4

265.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.89 ¥12.59

-38.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.39 ¥2.56

35.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$7.23 ¥48.02

-66.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.16 ¥7.71

25.00%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$19.1K ¥127.2K

10.04%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$18.4K ¥122.5K

46.16%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$47.68 ¥317

30.39%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$7.37 ¥48.96

65.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$15.00 ¥99.7

34.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$114 ¥755

-67.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.01 ¥79.8

-68.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.34 ¥48.76

-11.58%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$204 ¥1,353

261.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$11.9K ¥78.8K

24.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$58.6 ¥389

-8.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$41.71 ¥277

-40.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$64.6 ¥430

41.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$108 ¥718

-33.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$211 ¥1,400

128.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$142 ¥945

117.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$696 ¥4,623

44.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$354 ¥2,355

78.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$3,703 ¥24.6K

-36.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,275 ¥15.1K

-30.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,327 ¥8,815

-55.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.5

59.14%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nantong: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nantong

$142 19% 54% $167

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nantong

$182 24.3% 22.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nantong

$123 16.4% 13.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nantong

$70 9.4% 25.8% $24

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nantong

$83 11.1% 7.2% $5.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nantong

$19 2.6% 68.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nantong

$128 17.2% 155% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $211 in Nantong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Nantong are about 2.2 times higher, 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 Nantong. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $182 in Nantong – so Nantong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Nantong

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,726,635

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Nantong 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nantong

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 Nantong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 25% more than Nantong, 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 $1,122 in Nantong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nantong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $204 in Nantong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% 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 $748 in Nantong, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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