Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pingdingshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingdingshan: $721 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Pingdingshan
Learn more

Pingdingshan Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Pingdingshan

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $721 in Pingdingshan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Pingdingshan $721

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,119 in Pingdingshan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Pingdingshan $1,119

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,516 in Pingdingshan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Pingdingshan $1,516

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Pingdingshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Pingdingshan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Pingdingshan 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$2.18 ¥14.54

5.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$12.03 ¥80.4

63.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$4.52 ¥30.24

24.12%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.18 ¥14.56

-23.85%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.35 ¥2.36

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.17 ¥1.14

82.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$0.76 ¥5.11

217.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$1.52 ¥10.18

144.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.51 ¥10.07

29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.67 ¥11.17

-15.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.83 ¥5.57

57.83%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$0.98 ¥6.55

122.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$8.08 ¥54.0

106.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$3.20 ¥21.38

-13.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$10.50 ¥70.2

-13.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.44 ¥9.66

65.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.98 ¥6.56

5.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.09 ¥7.29

49.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.18 ¥7.92

27.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.62 ¥4.15

108.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.68 ¥4.56

63.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.68 ¥4.53

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.72 ¥4.84

-26.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.28 ¥21.91

31.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$15.03 ¥101

19.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$0.99 ¥6.60

59.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.00 ¥13.39

42.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.31 ¥2.10

177.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$17.76 ¥119

200.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.77 ¥5.17

57.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.31 ¥2.09

83.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$3.54 ¥23.64

-33.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.05 ¥7.05

37.14%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$12.0K ¥80.5K

72.28%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$17.2K ¥115.2K

55.58%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$70.0 ¥468

-11.00%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$6.92 ¥46.26

75.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$10.24 ¥68.5

94.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$42.43 ¥284

-12.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$16.31 ¥109

-76.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.05 ¥40.42

7.44%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$383 ¥2,563

106.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$31.0K ¥207.3K

-52.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$43.61 ¥292

23.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$33.36 ¥223

-26.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$74.6 ¥499

21.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$71.7 ¥480

-0.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$277 ¥1,851

64.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$204 ¥1,364

46.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$610 ¥4,081

48.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$421 ¥2,817

31.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$2,852 ¥19.1K

-32.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,860 ¥12.4K

-22.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.29

69.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Pingdingshan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Pingdingshan

$204 28.3% 31.5% $94

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Pingdingshan

$188 26% 20.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Pingdingshan

$100 13.9% 7.1% $7.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Pingdingshan

$87 12.1% 7.6% $7.2

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Pingdingshan

$66 9.2% 15.9% $13

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Pingdingshan

$21 3% 64.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Pingdingshan

$55 7.6% 8.9% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $277 in Pingdingshan. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $12.00 in Pingdingshan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $188 – making Pingdingshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Pingdingshan

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

18:51 6:51 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

5,000,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Pingdingshan 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pingdingshan

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 Pingdingshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Pingdingshan, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,082 in Pingdingshan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pingdingshan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $383 in Pingdingshan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pingdingshan, where all-in costs run around $721, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Pingdingshan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Pingdingshan costs $721 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Pingdingshan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.