Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tengzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Tengzhou: $706 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Tengzhou
Learn more

Tengzhou Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Tengzhou

🇨🇳 China

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $706 in Tengzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Tengzhou $706

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,119 in Tengzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Tengzhou $1,119

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,532 in Tengzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Tengzhou $1,532

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Tengzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Tengzhou are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Tengzhou 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$2.76 ¥18.44

-22.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿652

$21.31 ¥142

-8.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿184

$4.93 ¥32.95

10.95%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.6

$3.00 ¥20.03

-44.00%

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

$0.66 ฿22.18

$0.46 ¥3.08

43.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.56

$0.27 ¥1.80

25.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.3

$0.89 ¥5.98

171.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$2.13 ¥14.22

75.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿69.2

$1.88 ¥12.57

9.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.97

$1.61 ¥10.78

-9.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.26

$0.89 ¥5.92

51.69%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.3

$1.61 ¥10.78

40.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿548

$13.04 ¥87.1

25.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.7

$3.22 ¥21.51

-16.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿309

$10.37 ¥69.3

-11.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.5

$1.89 ¥12.62

26.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.79

$1.20 ¥7.99

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.54 ¥10.30

3.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.55

$1.10 ¥7.34

30.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.76

$0.74 ¥4.96

75.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.44

$0.96 ¥6.40

15.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.65

$0.56 ¥3.71

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.06

$0.54 ¥3.62

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿139

$3.16 ¥21.10

30.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿598

$10.59 ¥70.8

67.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$0.75 ¥5.03

117.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.4

$1.64 ¥10.99

75.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.87

$0.27 ¥1.78

218.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,786

$16.90 ¥113

214.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.97

$1.42 ¥9.51

-14.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.89

$0.36 ¥2.38

55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.8

$6.58 ¥44.01

-64.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.14 ¥7.60

31.58%

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

$20.9K ฿701.0K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

8.94%

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

$26.7K ฿898.5K

$17.4K ¥116.2K

53.80%

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

$61.3 ฿2,059

$45.69 ¥305

34.08%

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

$12.50 ฿420

$9.60 ¥64.1

30.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿684

$11.51 ¥76.9

76.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,275

$41.70 ¥279

-9.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.99 ¥93.5

-73.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿222

$5.89 ¥39.35

12.05%

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

$774 ฿26.0K

$332 ¥2,218

133.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿485.1K

$17.0K ¥113.3K

-14.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,842

$44.63 ¥298

22.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿849

$30.06 ¥201

-15.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,044

$70.5 ¥471

28.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,462

$72.2 ¥482

1.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$280 ¥1,872

63.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,874

$192 ¥1,281

53.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.9K

$602 ¥4,020

52.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$354 ¥2,368

55.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.4K

$3,029 ¥20.2K

-36.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.6K

$2,037 ¥13.6K

-29.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿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: October 5, 2026

Last update for Tengzhou: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Tengzhou

$192 26.8% 34.7% $102

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Tengzhou

$201 28% 15% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Tengzhou

$98 13.7% 10.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Tengzhou

$67 9.3% 29% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Tengzhou

$84 11.8% 9.3% $7.2

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tengzhou

$21 3% 65.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Tengzhou

$53 7.5% 4.6% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $280 in Tengzhou. 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 $21.00 in Tengzhou. Groceries tell a different story – $236 in Chiang Mai vs $201 in Tengzhou – so Tengzhou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Tengzhou

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

13:44 1:44 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,553,200

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.61 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Tengzhou 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tengzhou

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 Tengzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Tengzhou, 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 $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,059 in Tengzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Chiang Mai and $332 in Tengzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tengzhou, where all-in costs run around $706, than in Chiang Mai at $906. In Tengzhou 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. Tengzhou costs $706 versus $906 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 Tengzhou. 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.