Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Yancheng

For one person, living is cheaper in Yancheng: $701 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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 Yancheng
Learn more

Yancheng Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Yancheng

🇨🇳 China

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $701 in Yancheng, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Yancheng $701

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,156 in Yancheng, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Yancheng $1,156

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,611 in Yancheng, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Yancheng $1,611

Chiang Mai costs about 33% more than Yancheng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Yancheng are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Yancheng 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$1.97 ¥13.07

13.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$24.02 ¥160

-20.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.05 ¥20.27

81.97%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.19 ¥21.22

-47.65%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.35 ¥2.35

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.23 ¥1.53

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.51 ¥10.04

56.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.08 ¥20.44

18.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.82 ¥12.09

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$2.11 ¥14.05

-31.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.10 ¥7.30

20.91%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.86 ¥12.36

22.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$13.82 ¥91.9

19.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.40 ¥22.57

-18.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.25 ¥74.8

-17.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.68 ¥17.82

-12.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.26 ¥8.39

-23.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.63 ¥10.83

-1.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.17 ¥7.80

28.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.64 ¥4.26

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.81 ¥5.39

35.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.64 ¥4.25

10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.54 ¥3.61

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.12 ¥34.06

-19.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$11.77 ¥78.3

48.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.88 ¥5.82

82.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.28 ¥15.13

21.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.34 ¥2.28

155.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$15.40 ¥102

251.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.47 ¥9.78

-21.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.42 ¥2.82

26.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$8.79 ¥58.5

-72.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.28 ¥8.48

13.28%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$19.8K ¥131.4K

6.51%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$19.5K ¥129.3K

38.49%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$36.14 ¥240

72.03%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$11.57 ¥76.9

5.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$11.23 ¥74.6

79.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$44.83 ¥298

-16.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$14.94 ¥99.3

-74.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.85 ¥38.89

10.94%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$446 ¥2,966

64.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$16.2K ¥107.6K

-8.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$35.61 ¥237

49.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$21.45 ¥143

14.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$65.6 ¥436

39.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$44.48 ¥296

61.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$285 ¥1,894

69.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$189 ¥1,255

63.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$561 ¥3,726

79.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$418 ¥2,779

51.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$3,255 ¥21.6K

-27.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,919 ¥12.8K

-17.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.13

77.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yancheng: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Yancheng

$189 26.9% 38.9% $120

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Yancheng

$222 31.6% 5.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Yancheng

$75 10.7% 30.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Yancheng

$59 8.4% 37.6% $36

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Yancheng

$79 11.3% 2.1% $1.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Yancheng

$20 2.9% 66.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Yancheng

$57 8.1% 12.4% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $285 in Yancheng. 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 $24 in Yancheng. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $222 in Yancheng – so Yancheng wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Yancheng

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

18:17 6:17 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,260,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Yancheng 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Yancheng

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 Yancheng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 33% more than Yancheng, 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 $1,051 in Yancheng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yancheng, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $285 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $446 in Yancheng. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $701 in Yancheng, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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