Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Yichang

For one person, living is cheaper in Yichang: $716 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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 Yichang
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Yichang Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Yichang

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $716 in Yichang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Yichang $716

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,136 in Yichang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Yichang $1,136

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,557 in Yichang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Yichang $1,557

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Yichang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$2.76 ¥18.42

-22.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$21.38 ¥142

-12.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$4.94 ¥32.92

13.36%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.94 ¥19.58

-43.54%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.44 ¥2.92

47.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.29 ¥1.94

3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$0.93 ¥6.21

149.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.12 ¥14.15

73.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.78 ¥11.85

13.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.60 ¥10.63

-11.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$0.95 ¥6.36

46.32%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.52 ¥10.15

55.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$13.04 ¥86.9

26.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$3.15 ¥20.99

-15.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$10.07 ¥67.1

-10.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.88 ¥12.56

27.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.26 ¥8.40

-17.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.55 ¥10.33

7.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.13 ¥7.55

38.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.74 ¥4.96

67.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.91 ¥6.05

19.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.56 ¥3.75

35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.52 ¥3.43

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.15 ¥21.02

30.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$10.74 ¥71.6

66.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$0.81 ¥5.39

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$1.59 ¥10.63

77.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.29 ¥1.94

220.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$16.74 ¥112

215.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$1.37 ¥9.16

-13.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.33 ¥2.17

-48.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$6.78 ¥45.16

-73.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.16 ¥7.73

26.72%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$19.3K ¥128.4K

9.07%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$17.3K ¥115.1K

53.49%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$45.82 ¥305

36.53%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$9.75 ¥65.0

18.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$11.68 ¥77.8

73.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$42.49 ¥283

-10.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$14.11 ¥94.0

-73.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$6.02 ¥40.10

8.14%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$330 ¥2,199

120.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$16.8K ¥111.9K

-1.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$44.08 ¥294

21.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$30.48 ¥203

-18.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$72.0 ¥479

25.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$70.5 ¥470

2.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$283 ¥1,884

70.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$193 ¥1,286

60.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$581 ¥3,874

82.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$367 ¥2,445

79.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$2,990 ¥19.9K

-19.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$2,003 ¥13.3K

-19.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 Yichang: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Yichang

$193 26.9% 37.8% $117

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Yichang

$199 27.8% 16% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Yichang

$98 13.6% 9.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Yichang

$67 9.4% 28.8% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Yichang

$84 11.7% 9.7% $7.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Yichang

$21 2.9% 64.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Yichang

$55 7.6% 7.1% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $283 in Yichang. 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 Yichang. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $199 in Yichang – so Yichang wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Yichang

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

00:44 12:44 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,059,686

💱 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Yichang 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Yichang

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 Yichang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Yichang, 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 $1,074 in Yichang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yichang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $283 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $330 in Yichang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.