Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shaoxing

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaoxing: $751 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Shaoxing
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Shaoxing Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Shaoxing

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $751 in Shaoxing, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Shaoxing $751

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,204 in Shaoxing, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Shaoxing $1,204

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,657 in Shaoxing, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Shaoxing $1,657

Chiang Mai costs about 23% more than Shaoxing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Shaoxing are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Shaoxing 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.2

$3.72 ¥24.81

-38.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿663

$22.22 ¥148

-11.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿189

$5.31 ¥35.43

5.65%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.58 ¥17.20

-35.66%

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

$0.70 ฿23.62

$0.62 ¥4.15

12.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.33

$0.36 ¥2.38

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.2

$1.15 ¥7.66

109.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿125

$2.19 ¥14.64

69.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$1.80 ¥11.97

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.48

$1.96 ¥13.05

-28.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.04

$0.75 ¥4.99

74.67%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.6

$1.73 ¥11.55

26.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿562

$11.67 ¥77.8

42.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.1

$3.31 ¥22.05

-16.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿307

$10.59 ¥70.6

-13.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.7

$1.78 ¥11.90

34.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.59

$1.72 ¥11.50

-40.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$1.72 ¥11.46

-5.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.09 ¥7.28

37.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.54

$0.83 ¥5.51

55.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.38

$0.91 ¥6.07

21.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.31

$0.65 ¥4.36

10.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.58 ¥3.87

-8.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿145

$3.44 ¥22.92

25.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$10.61 ¥70.8

69.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$0.77 ¥5.13

105.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.62 ¥10.81

75.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.14

$0.23 ¥1.54

273.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,798

$19.86 ¥133

168.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.67

$1.99 ¥13.25

-39.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.17

$0.43 ¥2.87

32.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$9.04 ¥60.3

-74.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.42

$1.34 ¥8.93

7.46%

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

$20.7K ฿699.4K

$19.5K ¥129.8K

6.54%

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

$26.8K ฿904.2K

$18.0K ¥120.4K

48.52%

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

$62.3 ฿2,103

$47.33 ¥316

31.69%

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

$12.11 ฿409

$7.90 ¥52.7

53.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿673

$9.14 ¥61.0

118.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,251

$15.57 ¥104

138.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

$6.79 ¥45.32

-44.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿219

$6.82 ¥45.51

-4.69%

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

$793 ฿26.7K

$844 ¥5,630

-6.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿499.6K

$24.9K ¥166.3K

-40.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,813

$40.55 ¥270

32.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿831

$31.99 ¥213

-23.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,065

$76.9 ¥513

18.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,400

$106 ¥708

-32.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$434 ¥2,898

4.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$222 ¥1,484

33.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$596 ¥3,977

52.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$450 ¥3,000

23.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

$6,407 ¥42.7K

-69.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.7K

$3,558 ¥23.7K

-59.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

$901 ¥6,009

-34.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.36

65.77%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Shaoxing: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Shaoxing

$222 29.6% 25.3% $75

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Shaoxing

$205 27.2% 13.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Shaoxing

$115 15.3% 6.3% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Shaoxing

$64 8.6% 31.8% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Shaoxing

$91 12.1% 15.4% $12

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Shaoxing

$25 3.3% 59% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Shaoxing

$29 3.9% 41.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $434 in Shaoxing. 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 52% higher in Shaoxing, 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 $22 in Shaoxing. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $205 in Shaoxing – so Shaoxing wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Shaoxing

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

01:17 1:17 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,912,239

💱 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 Shaoxing 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shaoxing

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 Shaoxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 23% more than Shaoxing, 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 $1,127 in Shaoxing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $455 in Chiang Mai and $434 in Shaoxing. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $844 in Shaoxing. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $925 in Chiang Mai and $751 in Shaoxing, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $751 in Shaoxing to $925 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.