Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chifeng and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Chifeng: $719 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chifeng
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Chifeng Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chifeng

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chifeng and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $719 per month in Chifeng vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chifeng $719
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,137 per month in Chifeng vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chifeng $1,137
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,555 per month in Chifeng vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chifeng $1,555
Chiang Mai $1,979

Chifeng is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.73 ¥18.23

$2.24 ฿75.7

21.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.77 ¥145

$19.00 ฿642

14.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ¥32.21

$5.55 ฿188

-12.97%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥19.75

$1.67 ฿56.6

77.25%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.64 ฿21.56

-32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$0.31 ฿10.32

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.30

$2.36 ฿79.6

-60.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.25

$3.66 ฿124

-41.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ¥11.84

$1.95 ฿65.8

-8.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.60

$1.44 ฿48.51

10.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.05

$1.33 ฿45.07

-31.58%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.71

$2.28 ฿77.1

-29.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.6

$16.45 ฿556

-21.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ¥21.80

$2.78 ฿94.0

17.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 ¥68.7

$9.31 ฿314

10.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.06

$2.35 ฿79.5

-22.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.10

$0.97 ฿32.82

25.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$1.60 ฿53.9

-7.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.68

$1.50 ฿50.7

-23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.92

$1.28 ฿43.15

-42.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥5.98

$1.10 ฿37.22

-18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.79

$0.71 ฿23.84

-19.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.40

$0.49 ฿16.38

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 ¥21.35

$4.14 ฿140

-22.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.35 ¥69.0

$17.52 ฿592

-40.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.93

$1.61 ฿54.5

-54.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.89

$2.78 ฿94.0

-41.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.87 ฿29.33

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.79 ¥112

$54.1 ฿1,827

-68.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 ¥9.53

$1.16 ฿39.08

23.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.53 ฿17.82

-32.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.67 ¥44.44

$2.42 ฿81.8

175.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.50

$1.45 ฿48.93

-22.07%

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

$19.2K ¥128.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-8.74%

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

$17.0K ¥113.1K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-37.05%

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

$45.63 ¥304

$62.2 ฿2,100

-26.60%

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

$9.91 ¥66.1

$12.17 ฿411

-18.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.82 ¥78.8

$20.12 ฿680

-41.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.41 ¥283

$37.31 ฿1,260

13.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.10 ¥94.0

$3.77 ฿127

274.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 ¥39.04

$6.49 ฿219

-9.71%

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

$329 ¥2,196

$736 ฿24.9K

-55.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ¥113.7K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

15.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.42 ¥296

$53.4 ฿1,802

-16.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.68 ¥204

$24.64 ฿832

24.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.2 ¥488

$91.5 ฿3,089

-19.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 ¥479

$71.9 ฿2,429

-0.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 ¥1,834

$482 ฿16.3K

-42.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 ¥1,302

$309 ฿10.4K

-36.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,900

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-41.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ¥2,402

$633 ฿21.4K

-43.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,050 ¥20.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

29.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,069 ¥13.8K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

30.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

5.57

-30.16%

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

Last update for Chifeng: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chifeng

$198 27.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 18.3% $36

Accommodation & Living

Chifeng

$195 27.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 58.2% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Chifeng

$99 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 9.7% $9.6

Eating Out

Chifeng

$84 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 7.4% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chifeng

$67 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 40.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chifeng

$54 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 7.1% $3.8

Getting Around

Chifeng

$21 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 190% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $275 in Chifeng versus $482 in Chiang Mai. 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 $22 in Chifeng versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Chifeng vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Chifeng wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chifeng

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

15:21 3:21 PM

1 h behind Chifeng

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,175,391

127,240

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chifeng Chiang Mai 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chifeng
Chiang Mai

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

Chifeng vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Chifeng, 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 $1,078 per month in Chifeng and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chifeng, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $275 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Chifeng and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% 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 Chifeng – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.