Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Putian

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $518 in Putian, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Putian $518

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $854 in Putian, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Putian $854

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,190 in Putian, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Putian $1,190

Chiang Mai costs about 79% more than Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Putian are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Putian 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$2.21 ¥14.79

3.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$23.26 ¥156

-15.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.17 ¥34.57

8.51%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.44 ¥16.32

-31.97%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.43 ¥2.88

62.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.29 ¥1.92

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$0.77 ¥5.16

212.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.93 ¥19.58

26.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.47 ¥9.82

32.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$2.25 ¥15.07

-37.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.93 ¥6.19

40.86%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.58 ¥10.58

37.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$11.73 ¥78.4

41.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.43 ¥16.22

13.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$12.18 ¥81.4

-25.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.55 ¥17.03

-6.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.42 ¥9.49

-27.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.70 ¥11.34

-4.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.98 ¥13.25

-24.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.02 ¥6.79

26.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.77 ¥11.86

-37.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.93 ¥6.19

-22.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.50 ¥3.36

6.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.04 ¥20.31

41.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$11.18 ¥74.8

60.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$0.83 ¥5.58

90.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.71 ¥11.44

66.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.74 ¥4.92

16.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$22.38 ¥150

138.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.52 ¥10.16

-20.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.29 ¥1.94

96.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$7.02 ¥46.94

-66.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.31 ¥8.76

9.92%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$19.4K ¥129.8K

6.78%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

50.83%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$44.03 ¥294

41.56%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$8.87 ¥59.3

36.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$10.55 ¥70.6

89.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$10.08 ¥67.4

-35.52%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$492 ¥3,286

61.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$24.5K ¥163.6K

-39.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$39.10 ¥261

37.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$29.11 ¥195

-15.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$103 ¥691

-12.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$85.7 ¥573

-17.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$2,637 ¥17.6K

-26.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,115 ¥7,452

29.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$480 ¥3,211

23.02%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Putian

$215 41.6% 8.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Putian

$116 22.4% 7% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Putian

$63 12.3% 32.8% $31

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Putian

$75 14.5% 4.5% $3.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Putian

$28 5.5% 53.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Putian

$20 * 3.9% 59.7% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 23% 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $23.00 in Putian. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $215 in Putian – so Putian wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

11:10 11:10 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,954,000

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Putian

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 Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 79% more than Putian, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $777 in Putian. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $492 in Putian. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Putian, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Putian 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. Putian costs $518 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 Putian. 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.