Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dongying and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongying: $705 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Dongying
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Dongying Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dongying

🇨🇳 China

$705

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $705 per month in Dongying vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dongying $705
Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $1,139 per month in Dongying vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dongying $1,139
Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $1,572 per month in Dongying vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dongying $1,572
Chiang Mai $1,864

Dongying is about 22% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Dongying and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dongying 47% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 ¥19.13

$2.13 ฿71.6

34.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.81 ¥146

$19.40 ฿652

12.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 ¥32.86

$5.47 ฿184

-10.05%

Cappuccino

$3.10 ¥20.71

$1.68 ฿56.6

84.52%

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

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.66 ฿22.18

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.34 ฿11.56

-14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 ¥6.37

$2.42 ฿81.3

-60.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥14.05

$3.73 ฿125

-43.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.59

$2.06 ฿69.2

-8.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.78

$1.46 ฿48.97

10.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.35 ฿45.26

-31.85%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.71

$2.27 ฿76.3

-29.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 ¥86.3

$16.31 ฿548

-20.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ¥21.13

$2.70 ฿90.7

17.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 ¥67.0

$9.20 ฿309

9.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ¥12.40

$2.39 ฿80.5

-22.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.10

$1.04 ฿34.79

16.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$1.60 ฿53.9

-7.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.66

$1.44 ฿48.55

-20.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$1.30 ฿43.76

-46.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$1.11 ฿37.44

-11.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.78

$0.70 ฿23.65

-18.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.45

$0.51 ฿17.06

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ¥21.14

$4.13 ฿139

-23.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$17.78 ฿598

-41.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.39

$1.63 ฿54.9

-50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.01

$2.87 ฿96.4

-42.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$0.86 ฿28.87

-66.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.73 ¥112

$53.2 ฿1,786

-68.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 ¥9.53

$1.22 ฿40.97

17.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$0.56 ฿18.89

-41.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.80 ¥45.42

$2.31 ฿77.8

194.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ¥7.47

$1.50 ฿50.4

-25.33%

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

$19.5K ¥130.4K

$20.9K ฿701.0K

-6.44%

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

$17.4K ¥116.0K

$26.7K ฿898.5K

-35.06%

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

$44.89 ¥300

$61.3 ฿2,059

-26.72%

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

$9.96 ¥66.6

$12.50 ฿420

-20.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.55 ¥77.2

$20.36 ฿684

-43.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.59 ¥278

$37.94 ฿1,275

9.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.06 ¥93.9

$3.77 ฿127

272.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.79 ¥38.69

$6.60 ฿222

-12.27%

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

$336 ¥2,245

$774 ฿26.0K

-56.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥113.1K

$14.4K ฿485.1K

17.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.57 ¥291

$54.8 ฿1,842

-20.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.12 ¥201

$25.26 ฿849

19.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 ¥473

$90.6 ฿3,044

-21.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 ¥486

$73.3 ฿2,462

-0.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 ¥1,839

$459 ฿15.4K

-40.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 ¥1,296

$294 ฿9,874

-33.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 ¥3,880

$919 ฿30.9K

-36.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ¥2,406

$552 ฿18.5K

-34.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,987 ¥20.0K

$1,917 ฿64.4K

55.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,015 ¥13.5K

$1,445 ฿48.6K

39.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿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 Dongying: October 6, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dongying

$199 27.7%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 18.8% $37

Accommodation & Living

Dongying

$194 27%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 51.5% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Dongying

$98 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 12.3% $12

Eating Out

Dongying

$87 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 10.9% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dongying

$66 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 41.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Dongying

$53 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 3.8% $2

Getting Around

Dongying

$21 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 189% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $275 in Dongying versus $459 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 $22.00 in Dongying versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $199 in Dongying vs $236 in Chiang Mai – so Dongying wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dongying

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

14:53 2:53 PM

1 h behind Dongying

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,035,300

127,240

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 13, 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.61 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dongying Chiang Mai 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Dongying
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Dongying, 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 $1,058 per month in Dongying and $1,359 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dongying, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $336 per month in Dongying and $774 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% 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.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dongying, where all-in costs run around $705, than in Chiang Mai at $906. In Dongying it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dongying costs $705 versus $906 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Dongying. 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.