Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zhoushan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoushan: $623 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Zhoushan
Learn more

Zhoushan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Zhoushan

🇨🇳 China

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $623 in Zhoushan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Zhoushan $623

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,008 in Zhoushan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Zhoushan $1,008

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,394 in Zhoushan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Zhoushan $1,394

Chiang Mai costs about 50% more than Zhoushan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Zhoushan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Zhoushan 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.32 ¥22.12

-32.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$18.60 ¥124

2.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.09 ¥27.24

35.70%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.96 ¥19.67

-43.58%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.47 ¥3.10

36.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.27 ¥1.81

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.77 ¥5.13

206.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.93 ¥12.81

89.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.80 ¥12.01

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.19 ¥14.57

-34.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.87 ¥5.81

52.87%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.06 ¥7.02

115.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.59 ¥90.5

21.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.48 ¥23.16

-20.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.07 ¥73.7

-15.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.53 ¥10.15

53.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.23 ¥8.15

-21.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.53 ¥10.17

4.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.22 ¥8.10

22.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.57 ¥3.82

124.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.88 ¥5.86

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.60 ¥3.98

18.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.55 ¥3.69

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.36 ¥35.65

-22.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$12.10 ¥80.5

44.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.91 ¥6.08

76.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.16 ¥14.37

28.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.29 ¥1.92

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$15.22 ¥101

255.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.48 ¥9.86

-21.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.42 ¥2.83

26.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$9.04 ¥60.1

-73.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.17 ¥7.81

23.93%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$19.8K ¥131.5K

6.56%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$16.0K ¥106.2K

68.84%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$36.52 ¥243

70.24%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.44 ¥76.1

6.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$27.66 ¥184

-27.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$25.05 ¥167

48.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.59 ¥50.5

-50.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.16 ¥41.00

5.36%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$447 ¥2,971

64.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$16.5K ¥109.5K

-10.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$34.73 ¥231

53.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$21.39 ¥142

15.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$64.7 ¥430

41.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$45.75 ¥304

57.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$333 ¥2,214

44.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$118 ¥786

161.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$762 ¥5,068

32.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$271 ¥1,803

133.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$3,030 ¥20.2K

-22.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,988 ¥13.2K

-20.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$588 ¥3,914

0.25%

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 Zhoushan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Zhoushan

$118 19% 61.8% $191

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Zhoushan

$212 34% 9.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Zhoushan

$75 12% 31% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zhoushan

$76 12.1% 19.9% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Zhoushan

$85 13.7% 9.6% $7.4

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Zhoushan

$20 3.2% 67.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Zhoushan

$37 6% 25.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $333 in Zhoushan. 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 $19 in Zhoushan. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $212 in Zhoushan – so Zhoushan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇳 Zhoushan

🕒 Local time

02:20 2:20 AM

03:20 3:20 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,157,817

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Zhoushan

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 Zhoushan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 50% more than Zhoushan, 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 $934 in Zhoushan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhoushan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $333 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Zhoushan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 11% 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 $623 in Zhoushan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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