Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Yangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Yangzhou: $686 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Yangzhou
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Yangzhou Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Yangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $686 in Yangzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Yangzhou $686

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,102 in Yangzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Yangzhou $1,102

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,517 in Yangzhou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Yangzhou $1,517

Chiang Mai costs about 36% more than Yangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Yangzhou are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Yangzhou 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.28 ¥15.19

-1.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$11.15 ¥74.2

70.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.08 ¥20.48

80.19%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.50 ¥16.62

-33.20%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.44 ¥2.92

45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.21 ¥1.40

47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.03 ¥6.86

129.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.01 ¥13.35

82.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.23 ¥8.16

58.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.03 ¥13.50

-29.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.81 ¥5.40

64.20%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.02 ¥6.76

123.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$14.12 ¥93.9

16.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.68 ¥17.83

3.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.74 ¥44.83

38.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$0.75 ¥4.98

213.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.69 ¥11.26

-42.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.44 ¥2.89

263.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.05 ¥6.96

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.72 ¥4.80

77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.62 ¥4.15

77.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.78 ¥5.20

-8.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.72 ¥4.76

-31.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.98 ¥19.84

38.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$12.03 ¥80.0

45.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.89 ¥5.89

80.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.91 ¥12.71

45.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.35 ¥2.35

148.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$19.84 ¥132

172.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.18 ¥7.86

-1.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.26 ¥1.72

103.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$3.54 ¥23.54

-31.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.16 ¥7.75

25.00%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$19.7K ¥131.1K

6.87%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$16.8K ¥112.0K

60.09%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$49.69 ¥331

25.12%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$8.29 ¥55.2

46.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$12.09 ¥80.4

66.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$38.28 ¥255

-2.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.92 ¥113

-77.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.39 ¥42.52

1.56%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$242 ¥1,613

203.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$7,398 ¥49.2K

99.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$91.4 ¥608

-41.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$32.42 ¥216

-24.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$65.0 ¥432

40.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$91.1 ¥606

-21.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$254 ¥1,689

89.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$162 ¥1,078

90.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$609 ¥4,051

65.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$388 ¥2,582

63.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$2,595 ¥17.3K

-8.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,777 ¥11.8K

-10.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,260 ¥8,384

-53.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.1

79.68%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yangzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Yangzhou

$162 23.6% 47.5% $147

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Yangzhou

$184 26.8% 21.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Yangzhou

$126 18.4% 16% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Yangzhou

$70 10.2% 25.8% $24

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Yangzhou

$69 10.1% 10.7% $8.3

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Yangzhou

$24 3.5% 61.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Yangzhou

$51 7.4% 1.6% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $254 in Yangzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Yangzhou are about 2.1 times higher, 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 $11 in Yangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $184 – making Yangzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Yangzhou

🕒 Local time

01:24 1:24 AM

02:24 2:24 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,559,797

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Yangzhou 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Yangzhou

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 Yangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 36% more than Yangzhou, 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 $1,029 in Yangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yangzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $242 in Yangzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

For expats, Yangzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 27% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.