Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Qingdao, Shandong

For one person, living is cheaper in Qingdao, Shandong: $773 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Qingdao, Shandong
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Qingdao, Shandong Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Qingdao, Shandong

🇨🇳 China

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Qingdao, Shandong

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $773 in Qingdao, Shandong, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Qingdao, Shandong $773

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,221 in Qingdao, Shandong, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Qingdao, Shandong $1,221

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,669 in Qingdao, Shandong, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Qingdao, Shandong $1,669

Chiang Mai costs about 21% more than Qingdao, Shandong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Qingdao, Shandong are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Qingdao, Shandong 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.04 ¥20.27

-26.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$18.01 ¥120

5.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.41 ¥29.41

25.85%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.71 ¥18.04

-38.38%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.54 ¥3.59

18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.32 ¥2.14

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.05 ¥6.99

124.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.63 ¥17.53

39.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.92 ¥12.80

1.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.41 ¥9.42

2.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.00 ¥6.65

33.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.33 ¥8.88

71.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$16.57 ¥110

-0.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.24 ¥28.24

-34.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.62 ¥64.1

-3.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.40 ¥9.34

67.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.14 ¥7.58

-14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.71 ¥11.43

-6.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.26 ¥8.43

19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.68 ¥4.55

88.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.98 ¥6.51

12.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.00 ¥6.69

-29.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.61 ¥4.04

-19.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.85 ¥25.64

7.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$14.83 ¥98.9

18.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.03 ¥6.88

56.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.56 ¥10.42

78.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.29 ¥1.91

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$17.97 ¥120

201.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.46 ¥9.72

-20.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.41 ¥2.75

29.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$9.14 ¥60.9

-73.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.26 ¥8.43

15.08%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$19.6K ¥130.4K

7.64%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$17.4K ¥115.7K

55.15%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$69.3 ¥462

-10.26%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.65 ¥44.35

83.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$7.64 ¥50.9

163.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$21.14 ¥141

76.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$17.67 ¥118

-78.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.29 ¥41.96

3.18%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$364 ¥2,427

102.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$17.9K ¥119.4K

-17.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$52.8 ¥352

1.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$48.91 ¥326

-49.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$94.5 ¥630

-3.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$90.6 ¥604

-20.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$340 ¥2,263

42.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$197 ¥1,313

56.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$769 ¥5,126

30.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$401 ¥2,675

57.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,272 ¥21.8K

-27.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,096 ¥14.0K

-24.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,220 ¥8,134

-51.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.37

65.28%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Qingdao, Shandong: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Qingdao, Shandong

$197 25.5% 36.2% $112

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Qingdao, Shandong

$223 28.8% 5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Qingdao, Shandong

$129 16.7% 18.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.8% 11.5% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.9% 8.2% $6.4

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Qingdao, Shandong

$23 2.9% 63.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Qingdao, Shandong

$34 4.4% 32.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $340 in Qingdao, Shandong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Qingdao, Shandong are about 2.1 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 $18 in Qingdao, Shandong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $223 – making Qingdao, Shandong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Qingdao, Shandong

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

19:08 7:08 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

10,071,722

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Qingdao, Shandong 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Qingdao, Shandong

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 Qingdao, Shandong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 21% more than Qingdao, Shandong, 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 $1,159 in Qingdao, Shandong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qingdao, Shandong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $364 in Qingdao, Shandong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% 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.

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

For expats, Qingdao, Shandong is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 21% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.