Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dalian and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Dalian and in Chiang Mai: $917 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$917

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dalian 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 Dalian and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $917 per month in Dalian vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dalian $917
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,453 per month in Dalian vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dalian $1,453
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,989 per month in Dalian vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dalian $1,989
Chiang Mai $1,979

Dalian and Chiang Mai have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Dalian and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dalian 33% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.37

$2.24 ฿75.7

63.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.01 ¥166

$19.00 ฿642

31.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 ¥35.83

$5.55 ฿188

-3.06%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.82

$1.67 ฿56.6

105.39%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$0.64 ฿21.56

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.52

$0.31 ฿10.32

-25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ¥6.57

$2.36 ฿79.6

-58.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ¥10.05

$3.66 ฿124

-58.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ¥10.91

$1.95 ฿65.8

-15.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥9.95

$1.44 ฿48.51

4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$1.33 ฿45.07

-28.57%

Eggs

$1.57 ¥10.47

$2.28 ฿77.1

-31.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.12 ¥134

$16.45 ฿556

22.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 ¥23.32

$2.78 ฿94.0

25.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ¥85.2

$9.31 ฿314

37.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$2.35 ฿79.5

-45.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.25

$0.97 ฿32.82

12.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.08

$1.60 ฿53.9

23.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.94

$1.50 ฿50.7

-40.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$1.28 ฿43.15

-30.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.58

$1.10 ฿37.22

-37.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 ¥8.71

$0.71 ฿23.84

84.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.49 ฿16.38

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.46

$4.14 ฿140

-7.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 ¥99.9

$17.52 ฿592

-14.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 ¥7.46

$1.61 ฿54.5

-30.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥12.36

$2.78 ฿94.0

-33.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.87 ฿29.33

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 ¥198

$54.1 ฿1,827

-45.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ¥10.25

$1.16 ฿39.08

32.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.53 ฿17.82

-18.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 ¥28.23

$2.42 ฿81.8

75.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.44

$1.45 ฿48.93

-12.41%

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

$19.2K ¥127.7K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-8.85%

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

$17.3K ¥115.3K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-35.67%

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

$66.0 ¥439

$62.2 ฿2,100

6.13%

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

$9.51 ¥63.3

$12.17 ฿411

-21.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.65 ¥90.8

$20.12 ฿680

-32.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 ¥269

$37.31 ฿1,260

8.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.60 ¥244

$3.77 ฿127

870.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.94 ¥46.21

$6.49 ฿219

6.93%

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

$403 ¥2,678

$736 ฿24.9K

-45.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K ¥137.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

39.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.0 ¥505

$53.4 ฿1,802

42.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ¥372

$24.64 ฿832

127.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 ¥746

$91.5 ฿3,089

22.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ¥808

$71.9 ฿2,429

68.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 ¥2,703

$482 ฿16.3K

-15.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 ¥1,583

$309 ฿10.4K

-22.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$701 ¥4,667

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-30.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 ¥2,992

$633 ฿21.4K

-29.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,636 ¥17.5K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

11.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,644 ¥10.9K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

3.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,077 ¥7,169

$590 ฿19.9K

82.66%

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 Dalian: 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

Dalian

$239 26.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 2% $4.8

Accommodation & Living

Dalian

$238 26%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 29.8% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Dalian

$164 17.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 33.9% $56

Eating Out

Dalian

$97 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 20.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dalian

$89 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 6% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Dalian

$54 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 7.4% $4

Getting Around

Dalian

$35 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 77.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $406 in Dalian 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.

Salaries run about 83% higher in Dalian. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Dalian versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dalian

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

1 h behind Dalian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,450,785

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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dalian Chiang Mai 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dalian
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,375 per month in Dalian 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 Dalian, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Dalian. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Dalian and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $917 in Dalian and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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