Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zhangjiakou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiakou: $776 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiakou
Learn more

Zhangjiakou Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Zhangjiakou

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $776 in Zhangjiakou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Zhangjiakou $776

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,223 in Zhangjiakou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Zhangjiakou $1,223

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,670 in Zhangjiakou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Zhangjiakou $1,670

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Zhangjiakou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Zhangjiakou are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Zhangjiakou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.3

$2.21 ¥14.72

3.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿664

$24.26 ¥161

-19.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿190

$5.91 ¥39.37

-5.08%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.2

$3.50 ¥23.30

-52.57%

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

$0.70 ฿23.65

$0.50 ¥3.35

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.35

$0.26 ¥1.72

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.3

$0.92 ¥6.14

161.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿126

$1.69 ¥11.27

119.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿66.0

$1.48 ¥9.86

31.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.55

$2.21 ¥14.73

-36.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.06 ¥7.07

23.58%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.7

$1.06 ¥7.03

105.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿563

$15.23 ¥101

9.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.2

$2.98 ¥19.80

-7.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿308

$9.59 ¥63.8

-5.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.9

$1.66 ¥11.02

43.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.64

$0.93 ¥6.16

10.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿55.0

$1.76 ¥11.70

-7.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.22 ¥8.10

22.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.61

$0.81 ¥5.37

59.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.44

$0.57 ¥3.80

94.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.35

$0.62 ¥4.13

16.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.74 ¥4.93

-28.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿146

$3.63 ¥24.17

18.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿606

$13.60 ¥90.5

31.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.5

$1.07 ¥7.10

47.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿96.1

$2.43 ¥16.16

16.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.18

$0.29 ¥1.90

196.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,800

$17.61 ¥117

202.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.73

$1.08 ¥7.19

12.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.20

$0.33 ¥2.17

72.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$6.21 ¥41.37

-62.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.49

$1.18 ¥7.83

22.03%

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

$20.7K ฿700.5K

$19.6K ¥130.6K

5.66%

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

$26.8K ฿905.6K

$17.0K ¥113.3K

57.44%

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

$62.3 ฿2,106

$95.7 ¥637

-34.86%

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

$12.11 ฿409

$6.22 ¥41.40

94.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿674

$7.68 ¥51.1

159.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,252

$42.01 ¥280

-11.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿128

$15.20 ¥101

-75.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿220

$7.30 ¥48.57

-10.96%

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

$793 ฿26.8K

$342 ¥2,275

131.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿500.3K

$5,321 ¥35.4K

178.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,816

$44.73 ¥298

20.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿832

$28.35 ¥189

-13.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,070

$96.5 ¥643

-5.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,404

$60.0 ¥399

18.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$294 ¥1,954

55.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.1K

$182 ¥1,214

63.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.7K

$622 ¥4,142

45.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$379 ¥2,523

46.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.2K

$3,446 ¥22.9K

-43.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.8K

$1,966 ¥13.1K

-26.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿20.0K

$382 ¥2,544

54.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.54

57.34%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiakou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Zhangjiakou

$182 23.5% 38.8% $116

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Zhangjiakou

$214 27.6% 9.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Zhangjiakou

$103 13.3% 4.5% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Zhangjiakou

$110 14.1% 16.1% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Zhangjiakou

$88 11.4% 12.6% $9.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Zhangjiakou

$21 2.8% 64.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Zhangjiakou

$57 7.3% 13.1% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $294 in Zhangjiakou. 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 55% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai versus $24 in Zhangjiakou. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $214 in Zhangjiakou – so Zhangjiakou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Zhangjiakou

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

04:45 4:45 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,345,491

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.79 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.83 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Zhangjiakou 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zhangjiakou

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 Zhangjiakou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Zhangjiakou, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,164 in Zhangjiakou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhangjiakou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $294 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $342 in Zhangjiakou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% 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.

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

If budget matters most, go with Zhangjiakou. 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.