Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Qiqihar

For one person, living is cheaper in Qiqihar: $719 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Qiqihar
Learn more

Qiqihar Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Qiqihar

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $719 in Qiqihar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Qiqihar $719

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,135 in Qiqihar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Qiqihar $1,135

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,550 in Qiqihar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Qiqihar $1,550

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Qiqihar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Qiqihar are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Qiqihar 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.83 ¥18.82

-20.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$21.34 ¥142

-10.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.79 ¥31.91

15.87%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.99 ¥19.87

-44.15%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.47 ¥3.14

36.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.27 ¥1.78

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.95 ¥6.33

148.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.03 ¥13.51

80.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.88 ¥12.49

3.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.60 ¥10.64

-10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.96 ¥6.40

38.54%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.60 ¥10.65

42.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$13.06 ¥86.9

25.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.11 ¥20.70

-10.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.22 ¥68.0

-8.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.86 ¥12.35

26.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.26 ¥8.42

-23.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.54 ¥10.27

3.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.09 ¥7.24

37.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.71 ¥4.72

80.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.91 ¥6.08

20.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.56 ¥3.74

26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.52 ¥3.46

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.16 ¥21.04

31.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$10.66 ¥71.0

64.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.80 ¥5.32

101.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.61 ¥10.70

72.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.29 ¥1.95

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$16.54 ¥110

227.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.38 ¥9.16

-15.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.33 ¥2.18

60.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.78 ¥45.11

-64.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.13 ¥7.54

28.32%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$19.5K ¥129.5K

8.24%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$17.5K ¥116.2K

54.25%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$45.64 ¥304

36.22%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.04 ¥66.8

21.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$11.64 ¥77.5

72.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$42.48 ¥283

-12.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$14.10 ¥93.9

-73.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.75 ¥38.28

12.87%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$337 ¥2,240

118.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$17.0K ¥113.4K

-13.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$43.67 ¥291

22.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$30.41 ¥202

-18.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$70.7 ¥470

29.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$71.4 ¥475

0.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$283 ¥1,882

70.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$196 ¥1,301

58.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$593 ¥3,944

69.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$358 ¥2,380

77.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,050 ¥20.3K

-22.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,996 ¥13.3K

-20.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.89

43.19%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Qiqihar: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Qiqihar

$196 27.2% 36.7% $113

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Qiqihar

$200 27.8% 14.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Qiqihar

$97 13.5% 10.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Qiqihar

$67 9.4% 28.7% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Qiqihar

$85 11.8% 9.1% $7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Qiqihar

$21 2.9% 66.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Qiqihar

$54 7.5% 7.4% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $283 in Qiqihar. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $21 in Qiqihar. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $200 in Qiqihar – so Qiqihar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Qiqihar

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

5,367,003

💱 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Qiqihar 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Qiqihar

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 Qiqihar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Qiqihar, 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 $1,079 in Qiqihar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qiqihar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $283 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $337 in Qiqihar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.