Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Shenzhen $1,117

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,714 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Shenzhen $1,714

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,310 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Shenzhen $2,310

Chiang Mai is about 16% cheaper than Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Shenzhen are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.66 ¥24.35

-38.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$29.39 ¥196

-35.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.28 ¥35.17

5.11%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.36 ¥22.34

-50.30%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.58 ¥3.84

10.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.36 ¥2.37

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.48 ¥9.82

59.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.14 ¥14.26

71.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.54 ¥10.22

26.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.63 ¥10.84

-11.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.14 ¥7.60

16.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.75 ¥11.63

30.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$20.74 ¥138

-20.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.41 ¥22.71

-18.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.42 ¥96.0

-35.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.25 ¥14.96

4.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.62 ¥10.79

-40.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.94 ¥12.88

-17.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.42 ¥9.47

5.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.08 ¥7.20

18.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.28 ¥8.52

-14.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.60 ¥3.97

18.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.56 ¥3.76

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.43 ¥29.50

-6.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$12.08 ¥80.4

45.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.92 ¥6.15

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.83 ¥12.15

51.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.44 ¥2.90

97.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$18.05 ¥120

199.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.53 ¥10.15

-24.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.41 ¥2.75

29.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.36 ¥48.98

-67.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.32 ¥8.77

9.85%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$19.2K ¥127.9K

9.53%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

49.29%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$64.8 ¥431

-4.01%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.90 ¥65.9

22.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$16.40 ¥109

22.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$48.95 ¥326

-23.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.95 ¥113

-77.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.28 ¥48.44

-10.85%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$537 ¥3,572

37.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$24.4K ¥162.4K

-39.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$55.7 ¥371

-4.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$40.56 ¥270

-39.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$73.1 ¥486

25.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$93.9 ¥625

-23.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$753 ¥5,010

-35.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$471 ¥3,132

-34.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-45.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$830 ¥5,525

-23.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$13.2K ¥87.8K

-82.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-75.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,763 ¥11.7K

-66.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.35

66.27%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 52.3% $162

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 6.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 9% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 3.6% $3.4

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 30% $23

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 61.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 26.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $753 in Shenzhen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Shenzhen are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $29 in Shenzhen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $249 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

22:11 10:11 PM

23:11 11:11 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

12,528,300

💱 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 = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Shenzhen 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shenzhen

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 Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen costs about 19% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,675 in Shenzhen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $753 in Shenzhen.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $537 in Shenzhen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Shenzhen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,117 in Shenzhen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,117 in Shenzhen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shenzhen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.