Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Xiamen

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $832 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $832 in Xiamen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Xiamen $832

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,337 in Xiamen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Xiamen $1,337

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,842 in Xiamen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Xiamen $1,842

Chiang Mai costs about 12% more than Xiamen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Xiamen are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Xiamen 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.93 ¥19.49

-23.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$23.60 ¥157

-19.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.20 ¥34.52

6.73%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.57 ¥17.06

-35.02%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.47 ¥3.10

36.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.35 ¥2.35

-11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.4

$1.51 ¥10.06

56.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.95 ¥19.57

24.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.6

$1.47 ¥9.76

32.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.39

$2.28 ¥15.14

-36.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.96

$0.95 ¥6.30

40.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿76.9

$1.64 ¥10.87

39.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$12.02 ¥79.8

36.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.7

$2.45 ¥16.24

13.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.76 ¥78.1

-20.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.58 ¥17.16

-8.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.48 ¥9.80

-34.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.67 ¥11.10

-4.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.99 ¥13.23

-24.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.05

$0.97 ¥6.47

31.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.13

$1.81 ¥12.04

-39.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.78

$0.93 ¥6.15

-23.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.54 ¥3.61

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.92 ¥19.36

41.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$11.38 ¥75.6

53.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.79 ¥5.28

103.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.74 ¥11.55

59.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.26

$0.16 ¥1.08

443.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,822

$11.93 ¥79.2

353.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿38.99

$1.46 ¥9.67

-20.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.77

$0.29 ¥1.91

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$7.39 ¥49.07

-67.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.81

$1.33 ¥8.84

9.02%

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

$21.1K ฿709.5K

$19.7K ¥131.1K

6.66%

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

$26.9K ฿907.7K

$17.6K ¥116.7K

53.36%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$43.23 ¥287

43.81%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$8.70 ¥57.8

39.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$10.38 ¥68.9

93.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$47.30 ¥314

-21.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$10.31 ¥68.5

-63.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.24 ¥68.0

-36.62%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$496 ¥3,297

48.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.4K

$24.8K ¥164.7K

-40.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,798

$39.20 ¥260

36.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$29.55 ¥196

-16.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,082

$107 ¥710

-14.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$84.5 ¥561

-14.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.2K

$352 ¥2,341

36.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$266 ¥1,766

16.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$841 ¥5,587

19.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$544 ¥3,610

16.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$8,588 ¥57.0K

-72.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.5K

$4,847 ¥32.2K

-67.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,179 ¥7,833

-50.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.46

60.98%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Xiamen: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Xiamen

$266 32% 13.9% $43

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Xiamen

$217 26.1% 7.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Xiamen

$117 14.1% 7.8% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Xiamen

$62 7.5% 34% $32

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Xiamen

$87 10.4% 11.7% $9.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Xiamen

$15 1.9% 74.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Xiamen

$68 8.2% 34.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $352 in Xiamen. 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 100% higher in Xiamen, 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $24 in Xiamen. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $217 in Xiamen – so Xiamen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

07:59 7:59 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,531,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 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 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Xiamen 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Xiamen

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 Xiamen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 12% more than Xiamen, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,248 in Xiamen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Xiamen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $352 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $496 in Xiamen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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