Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $784 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: China is 11.9% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 13.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: China is 7.3% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.90 ¥19.39
$2.13 ฿71.4
36.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.02 ¥147
$19.40 ฿649
13.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.20 ¥34.74
$5.47 ฿183
-4.94%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ¥20.31
$1.68 ฿56.4
80.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.45
$0.66 ฿22.10
-21.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ¥1.85
$0.34 ฿11.52
-17.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.01 ¥6.75
$2.42 ฿81.0
-58.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 ¥14.64
$3.73 ฿125
-41.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 ¥11.71
$2.06 ฿68.9
-15.05%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 ¥10.96
$1.46 ฿48.78
12.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.12
$1.35 ฿45.09
-31.85%
Eggs
$1.59 ¥10.66
$2.27 ฿76.0
-29.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.99 ¥86.8
$16.31 ฿546
-20.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.35 ¥22.38
$2.70 ฿90.3
24.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.18 ¥74.7
$9.20 ฿308
21.52%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ¥12.02
$2.39 ฿80.1
-24.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 ¥8.78
$1.04 ฿34.66
25.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 ¥9.80
$1.60 ฿53.7
-8.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.32 ¥8.79
$1.44 ฿48.37
-8.33%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 ¥5.07
$1.30 ฿43.59
-41.54%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.15
$1.11 ฿37.29
-17.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.59 ¥3.94
$0.70 ฿23.55
-15.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.63
$0.51 ฿16.99
5.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.79 ¥25.34
$4.13 ฿138
-8.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.14 ¥81.1
$17.78 ฿595
-31.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 ¥5.48
$1.63 ฿54.7
-49.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 ¥10.92
$2.87 ฿96.0
-43.21%
🚌 Getting Around
China
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.93
$0.86 ฿28.76
-66.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.33 ¥149
$53.2 ฿1,780
-57.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 ¥10.24
$1.22 ฿40.81
25.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.31
$0.56 ฿18.81
-37.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.00 ¥46.79
$2.31 ฿77.5
203.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ¥8.77
$1.50 ฿50.2
-12.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.0K ¥127.1K
$20.9K ฿698.3K
-8.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.0K ¥113.7K
$26.7K ฿895.0K
-36.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.1 ¥362
$61.3 ฿2,051
-11.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.42 ¥56.3
$12.50 ฿419
-32.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.72 ¥71.6
$20.36 ฿682
-47.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.72 ¥272
$37.94 ฿1,270
7.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.58 ¥97.4
$3.77 ฿126
286.74%
Cinema Ticket
$6.76 ¥45.15
$6.60 ฿221
2.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$462 ¥3,089
$774 ฿25.9K
-40.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.6K ¥131.0K
$14.4K ฿483.2K
35.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.57 ¥305
$54.8 ฿1,835
-16.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.05 ¥241
$25.26 ฿846
42.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.4 ¥504
$90.6 ฿3,032
-16.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.0 ¥528
$73.3 ฿2,453
7.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$386 ¥2,577
$459 ฿15.4K
-15.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$240 ¥1,601
$294 ฿9,835
-18.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$843 ¥5,637
$919 ฿30.8K
-8.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$461 ¥3,083
$552 ฿18.5K
-16.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,590 ¥30.7K
$1,917 ฿64.2K
139.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,279 ¥15.2K
$1,445 ฿48.4K
57.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,060 ¥7,082
$592 ฿19.8K
78.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.46
5.57
-37.88%

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

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
China
$240
Chiang Mai
$294 22.6% $54
Groceries & Markets
China
$207
Chiang Mai
$236 13.9% $29
Clothing & Footwear
China
$106
Chiang Mai
$110 3.3% $3.5
Eating Out
China
$88
Chiang Mai
$77 12.1% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
$73
Chiang Mai
$94 28.5% $21
Sport & Entertainment
China
$54
Chiang Mai
$51 5.7% $3.1
Getting Around
China
$27
Chiang Mai
$61 127% $34
Good to know
🇨🇳 China
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
20:23 8:23 PM
19:23 7:23 PM
1 h behind China
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,442,965,000
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • China Chiang Mai 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • China
  • 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

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