Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heyuan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $792 per month in Heyuan vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Heyuan $792
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,284 per month in Heyuan vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Heyuan $1,284
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,776 per month in Heyuan vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Heyuan $1,776
Chiang Mai $1,903

Heyuan is about 14% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Heyuan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Heyuan 42% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ¥20.39

$2.29 ฿77.2

33.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.30 ¥195

$19.64 ฿663

49.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ¥35.60

$5.61 ฿189

-4.81%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ¥20.42

$1.66 ฿56.1

84.34%

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

$0.58 ¥3.86

$0.70 ฿23.62

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.24

$0.31 ฿10.33

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 ¥9.09

$2.41 ฿81.2

-43.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥18.33

$3.71 ฿125

-25.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ¥11.93

$1.95 ฿65.9

-8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 ¥12.72

$1.41 ฿47.48

35.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.37

$1.31 ฿44.04

-15.27%

Eggs

$1.52 ¥10.17

$2.18 ฿73.6

-30.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.29 ¥109

$16.65 ฿562

-2.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.14 ¥34.29

$2.76 ฿93.1

86.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 ¥81.6

$9.11 ฿307

34.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ¥15.25

$2.39 ฿80.7

-4.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.16

$1.03 ฿34.59

18.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$1.63 ฿54.9

-15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.86

$1.50 ฿50.5

18.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.39

$1.29 ฿43.54

-25.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$1.11 ฿37.38

6.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$0.72 ฿24.31

15.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.43

$0.53 ฿17.76

24.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥25.98

$4.31 ฿145

-9.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 ¥70.9

$17.95 ฿605

-40.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.77

$1.58 ฿53.4

-35.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥12.68

$2.84 ฿95.9

-33.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.86 ฿29.14

-63.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.71 ¥118

$53.3 ฿1,798

-66.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ¥12.29

$1.21 ฿40.67

52.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.57 ฿19.17

-24.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 ¥47.93

$2.35 ฿79.4

205.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.44 ฿48.42

-7.64%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$20.7K ฿699.4K

-7.60%

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

$17.7K ¥118.3K

$26.8K ฿904.2K

-33.80%

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

$61.4 ¥409

$62.3 ฿2,103

-1.56%

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

$16.39 ¥109

$12.11 ฿409

35.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.49 ¥96.6

$19.94 ฿673

-27.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.17 ¥275

$37.07 ฿1,251

11.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.11 ¥101

$3.78 ฿127

299.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 ¥43.61

$6.50 ฿219

0.62%

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

$422 ¥2,816

$793 ฿26.7K

-46.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥163.0K

$14.8K ฿499.6K

65.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.24 ¥328

$53.7 ฿1,813

-8.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.47 ¥277

$24.62 ฿831

68.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 ¥541

$90.9 ฿3,065

-10.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 ¥466

$71.1 ฿2,400

-1.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$303 ¥2,021

$455 ฿15.4K

-33.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ¥1,215

$298 ฿10.0K

-38.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,155

$908 ฿30.6K

-31.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ¥2,501

$554 ฿18.7K

-32.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,487 ¥23.3K

$1,931 ฿65.1K

80.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 ¥12.9K

$1,445 ฿48.7K

34.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,362 ¥9,082

$591 ฿19.9K

130.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

5.57

-39.32%

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

Last update for Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Heyuan

$239 30.1%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 1.3% $3.1

Accommodation & Living

Heyuan

$182 23%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 63.5% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Heyuan

$109 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 0.6% $0.6

Eating Out

Heyuan

$93 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 15.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heyuan

$92 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 2.3% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Heyuan

$54 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 7.7% $4.2

Getting Around

Heyuan

$23 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 165% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $303 in Heyuan 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 130% higher in Heyuan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Heyuan versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

22:04 10:04 PM

1 h behind Heyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,953,019

127,240

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.93 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Heyuan Chiang Mai 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Heyuan
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Heyuan, 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 $1,188 per month in Heyuan 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 Heyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $422 per month in Heyuan and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Heyuan 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. Heyuan costs $792 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 Heyuan. 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.