Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guilin and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Guilin: $654 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Guilin
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Guilin Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Guilin

🇨🇳 China

$654

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $654 per month in Guilin vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Guilin $654
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,056 per month in Guilin vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Guilin $1,056
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,458 per month in Guilin vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Guilin $1,458
Chiang Mai $1,903

Guilin is about 29% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Guilin and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Guilin 52% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.32

$2.29 ฿76.5

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.80 ¥99.0

$19.64 ฿656

-24.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.91 ¥19.45

$5.61 ฿188

-48.13%

Cappuccino

$2.12 ¥14.16

$1.66 ฿55.6

27.71%

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

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.70 ฿23.40

-38.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.31 ฿10.24

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.80 ¥5.36

$2.41 ฿80.4

-66.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥14.14

$3.71 ฿124

-43.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.17

$1.95 ฿65.3

-22.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥8.71

$1.41 ฿47.03

-7.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.49

$1.31 ฿43.62

-48.85%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥12.29

$2.18 ฿72.9

-15.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.14 ¥87.8

$16.65 ฿556

-21.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.39 ¥22.69

$2.76 ฿92.2

22.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.3

$9.11 ฿304

21.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.81

$2.39 ฿80.0

-38.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.11

$1.03 ฿34.26

17.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$1.63 ฿54.4

-36.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.25

$1.50 ฿50.0

-38.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.93

$1.29 ฿43.13

-42.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.23

$1.11 ฿37.03

-16.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.72 ฿24.08

-19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.89

$0.53 ฿17.59

-18.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 ¥24.42

$4.31 ฿144

-15.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.50 ¥76.9

$17.95 ฿600

-35.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.60

$1.58 ฿52.9

-46.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$2.84 ฿95.0

-42.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.86 ฿28.86

-63.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.76 ¥119

$53.3 ฿1,780

-66.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ¥9.15

$1.21 ฿40.29

13.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.57 ฿18.99

-45.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 ¥47.77

$2.35 ฿78.6

203.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ¥8.09

$1.44 ฿47.96

-15.97%

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

$19.4K ¥129.5K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-6.55%

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

$17.5K ¥117.3K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-34.52%

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

$23.99 ¥160

$62.3 ฿2,083

-61.51%

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

$5.02 ¥33.53

$12.11 ฿405

-58.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.20 ¥74.9

$19.94 ฿666

-43.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.76 ¥279

$37.07 ฿1,239

12.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.13 ¥101

$3.78 ฿126

300.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 ¥34.17

$6.50 ฿217

-21.38%

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

$413 ¥2,763

$793 ฿26.5K

-47.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ¥116.7K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

17.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.07 ¥288

$53.7 ฿1,796

-19.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.32 ¥223

$24.62 ฿823

35.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 ¥492

$90.9 ฿3,036

-19.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.4 ¥491

$71.1 ฿2,378

3.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,964

$455 ฿15.2K

-35.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ¥1,221

$298 ฿9,954

-38.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$633 ¥4,236

$908 ฿30.4K

-30.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 ¥2,537

$554 ฿18.5K

-31.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,367 ¥9,139

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-29.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 ¥12.8K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

32.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$498 ¥3,327

$591 ฿19.7K

-15.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.57

-39.68%

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

Last update for Guilin: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guilin

$193 29.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 21.7% $42

Accommodation & Living

Guilin

$183 27.9%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 63% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Guilin

$100 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 7.7% $7.7

Eating Out

Guilin

$64 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 23.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Guilin

$52 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 3.7% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guilin

$40 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 135% $54

Getting Around

Guilin

$22 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 177% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $294 in Guilin versus $455 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 19% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Guilin versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $235 – making Guilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guilin

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

13:59 1:59 PM

1 h behind Guilin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,931,137

127,240

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guilin Chiang Mai 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Guilin
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 41% more than Guilin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $981 per month in Guilin and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $413 per month in Guilin and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% 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 Guilin, where all-in costs run around $654, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Guilin 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. Guilin costs $654 versus $925 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 Guilin. 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.