Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tangshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Tangshan: $711 a month against $935 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 Tangshan
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Tangshan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Tangshan

🇨🇳 China

$711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $711 in Tangshan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Tangshan $711

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,129 in Tangshan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Tangshan $1,129

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,546 in Tangshan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Tangshan $1,546

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.2

$2.72 ¥18.13

-21.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿622

$21.48 ¥143

-13.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$4.79 ¥31.88

16.91%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.5

$2.97 ¥19.75

-44.11%

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

$0.65 ฿21.59

$0.44 ¥2.91

47.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.18

$0.29 ¥1.94

3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.5

$0.95 ¥6.33

144.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿122

$2.03 ¥13.52

80.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.3

$1.78 ¥11.86

13.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.00

$1.56 ¥10.38

-9.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.46

$0.91 ¥6.08

52.75%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.0

$1.59 ¥10.59

49.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿551

$12.90 ¥85.9

28.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.1

$3.13 ¥20.84

-14.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿301

$10.01 ¥66.7

-9.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.1

$1.79 ¥11.93

34.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.76

$1.22 ¥8.10

-14.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.50 ¥9.97

10.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.0

$1.13 ¥7.55

38.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.31

$0.69 ¥4.58

79.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.27

$0.91 ¥6.08

19.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.43

$0.61 ¥4.05

24.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.16

$0.54 ¥3.61

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.09 ¥20.58

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿598

$10.45 ¥69.6

71.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.2

$0.74 ¥4.91

118.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.2

$1.57 ¥10.46

79.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.19

$0.29 ¥1.95

220.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,766

$16.85 ¥112

213.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.28

$1.42 ¥9.44

-16.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.72

$0.35 ¥2.33

-51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.5

$6.74 ¥44.89

-73.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.16

$1.14 ¥7.56

28.95%

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

$21.0K ฿701.4K

$19.6K ¥130.5K

7.23%

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

$26.5K ฿885.1K

$17.5K ¥116.3K

51.75%

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

$62.6 ฿2,088

$45.47 ¥303

37.59%

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

$11.60 ฿387

$9.61 ¥64.0

20.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿678

$11.92 ¥79.3

70.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,264

$41.73 ¥278

-9.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿123

$13.98 ¥93.1

-73.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿217

$5.97 ¥39.76

9.05%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$333 ¥2,215

118.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿553.2K

$17.2K ¥114.2K

-3.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,787

$43.12 ¥287

24.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿828

$30.60 ¥204

-18.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,017

$71.0 ¥472

27.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,402

$73.1 ¥486

-1.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$282 ¥1,879

70.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.3K

$191 ¥1,274

61.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.3K

$602 ¥4,007

75.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$363 ¥2,416

81.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.7K

$3,003 ¥20.0K

-19.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.7K

$2,053 ¥13.7K

-21.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tangshan: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Tangshan

$191 26.9% 38.2% $119

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Tangshan

$196 27.6% 17% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Tangshan

$98 13.8% 9.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Tangshan

$67 9.4% 29.1% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Tangshan

$83 11.7% 9% $6.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Tangshan

$21 3% 63.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Tangshan

$54 7.6% 5.4% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $282 in Tangshan. 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 Tangshan. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $196 in Tangshan – so Tangshan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Tangshan

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

00:18 12:18 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,717,983

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Tangshan 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tangshan

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 Tangshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Tangshan, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,067 in Tangshan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tangshan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $333 in Tangshan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $711 in Tangshan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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