Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Quzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Quzhou: $701 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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 Quzhou
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Quzhou Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Quzhou

🇨🇳 China

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $701 in Quzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Quzhou $701

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,153 in Quzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Quzhou $1,153

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,606 in Quzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Quzhou $1,606

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Quzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Quzhou are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Quzhou 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.2

$2.77 ¥18.45

-17.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿663

$29.42 ¥196

-33.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿189

$4.52 ¥30.17

24.12%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$3.55 ¥23.67

-53.24%

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

$0.70 ฿23.62

$0.47 ¥3.16

48.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.33

$0.29 ¥1.93

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.2

$1.03 ¥6.88

133.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿125

$3.45 ¥23.04

7.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$1.74 ¥11.58

12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.48

$1.14 ¥7.60

23.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.04

$0.70 ¥4.66

87.14%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.6

$1.65 ¥10.97

32.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿562

$15.10 ¥101

10.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.1

$3.66 ¥24.44

-24.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿307

$9.06 ¥60.4

0.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.7

$1.02 ¥6.83

134.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.59

$1.55 ¥10.34

-33.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$1.49 ¥9.97

9.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.17 ¥7.83

28.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.54

$0.63 ¥4.17

104.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.38

$0.75 ¥5.02

48.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.31

$0.70 ¥4.65

2.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.58 ¥3.87

-8.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿145

$4.61 ¥30.77

-6.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$8.06 ¥53.7

122.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$0.81 ¥5.39

95.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.43 ¥9.57

98.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.14

$0.31 ¥2.08

177.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,798

$18.24 ¥122

192.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.67

$1.74 ¥11.63

-30.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.17

$0.34 ¥2.29

67.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$7.04 ¥46.94

-66.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.42

$1.31 ¥8.72

9.92%

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

$20.7K ฿699.4K

$19.5K ¥129.9K

6.43%

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

$26.8K ฿904.2K

$17.8K ¥118.5K

50.82%

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

$62.3 ฿2,103

$51.8 ¥346

20.28%

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

$12.11 ฿409

$6.59 ¥43.99

83.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿673

$7.92 ¥52.8

151.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,251

$40.84 ¥272

-9.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

$15.02 ¥100

-74.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿219

$7.74 ¥51.6

-16.02%

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

$793 ฿26.7K

$415 ¥2,767

91.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿499.6K

$16.0K ¥106.6K

-7.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,813

$62.4 ¥416

-13.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿831

$26.59 ¥177

-7.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,065

$61.6 ¥411

47.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,400

$51.7 ¥345

37.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$302 ¥2,012

50.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$179 ¥1,196

66.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$618 ¥4,125

46.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$381 ¥2,542

45.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

$3,522 ¥23.5K

-45.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.7K

$1,905 ¥12.7K

-24.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

$713 ¥4,759

-17.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.18

75.16%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Quzhou: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Quzhou

$179 25.6% 39.8% $119

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Quzhou

$191 27.3% 18.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Quzhou

$91 13% 15.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Quzhou

$66 9.5% 29.7% $28

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Quzhou

$93 13.3% 18.8% $15

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Quzhou

$23 3.3% 62.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Quzhou

$56 8% 12.5% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $302 in Quzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 21% higher in Quzhou, 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 $20 in Chiang Mai versus $29 in Quzhou. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $191 in Quzhou – so Quzhou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Quzhou

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

00:40 12:40 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,122,661

💱 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 = 0.134 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.8 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Quzhou 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Quzhou

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 Quzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Quzhou, 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 $1,051 in Quzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $302 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $415 in Quzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% 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 Quzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.