Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Rizhao

For one person, living is cheaper in Rizhao: $667 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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 Rizhao
Learn more

Rizhao Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Rizhao

🇨🇳 China

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $667 in Rizhao, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Rizhao $667

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,077 in Rizhao, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Rizhao $1,077

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,487 in Rizhao, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Rizhao $1,487

Chiang Mai costs about 41% more than Rizhao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Rizhao are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Rizhao 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$2.54 ¥16.95

-11.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$19.14 ¥128

0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$4.82 ¥32.21

15.98%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.95 ¥13.05

-11.79%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.46 ¥3.10

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.23 ¥1.54

43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$0.88 ¥5.87

168.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$1.98 ¥13.21

96.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.46 ¥9.78

40.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.48 ¥9.87

-5.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$0.46 ¥3.08

178.26%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.07 ¥7.14

110.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$11.73 ¥78.4

44.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$3.34 ¥22.32

-17.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$11.35 ¥75.9

-17.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.46 ¥9.78

64.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.02 ¥6.81

-0.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.77 ¥5.17

109.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.14 ¥7.65

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.58 ¥3.87

120.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.68 ¥4.57

63.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.58 ¥3.85

24.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.63 ¥4.19

-17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.66 ¥24.45

18.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$9.99 ¥66.8

77.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.72 ¥4.81

126.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.36 ¥9.08

109.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.29 ¥1.93

193.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$17.44 ¥117

209.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.23 ¥8.20

-4.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.25 ¥1.67

128.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$4.52 ¥30.21

-47.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.19 ¥7.92

21.85%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$19.1K ¥127.6K

7.27%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$14.8K ¥99.1K

78.88%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$73.5 ¥491

-15.20%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$6.63 ¥44.30

85.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$5.18 ¥34.65

285.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$36.51 ¥244

3.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$13.25 ¥88.6

-71.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$5.36 ¥35.87

25.19%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$218 ¥1,458

265.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

-25.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$34.08 ¥228

56.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$43.15 ¥289

-41.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$71.2 ¥476

28.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$69.4 ¥464

5.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$299 ¥1,999

55.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$163 ¥1,090

86.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$623 ¥4,167

46.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$375 ¥2,505

47.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$3,578 ¥23.9K

-46.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$2,144 ¥14.3K

-32.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.13

77.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Rizhao: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Rizhao

$163 24.4% 46.5% $142

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Rizhao

$183 27.4% 23.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Rizhao

$98 14.7% 10.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Rizhao

$85 12.8% 9.8% $9.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Rizhao

$69 10.4% 12.3% $9.7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Rizhao

$21 3.2% 65.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Rizhao

$47 7.1% 8% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $299 in Rizhao. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $19.00 in Rizhao. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $183 in Rizhao – so Rizhao wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Rizhao

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

17:17 5:17 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,143,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Rizhao 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Rizhao

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 Rizhao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 41% more than Rizhao, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,000 in Rizhao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $218 in Rizhao. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 Rizhao, where all-in costs run around $667, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Rizhao 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. Rizhao costs $667 versus $938 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 Rizhao. 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.