Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hohhot and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Hohhot: $726 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Hohhot
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Hohhot Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hohhot

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $726 per month in Hohhot vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hohhot $726
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,134 per month in Hohhot vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hohhot $1,134
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,542 per month in Hohhot vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hohhot $1,542
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

Both Hohhot and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Hohhot 47% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.28 ¥21.77

$2.24 ฿75.6

46.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.58 ¥150

$19.00 ฿641

18.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 ¥58.9

$5.55 ฿187

59.64%

Cappuccino

$3.54 ¥23.53

$1.67 ฿56.5

111.98%

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

$0.48 ¥3.22

$0.64 ฿21.54

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.83

$0.31 ฿10.31

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.04

$2.36 ฿79.5

-48.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ¥13.21

$3.66 ฿124

-45.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ¥15.04

$1.95 ฿65.7

15.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ¥8.84

$1.44 ฿48.46

-7.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.88

$1.33 ฿45.03

-10.53%

Eggs

$1.47 ¥9.77

$2.28 ฿77.1

-35.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.26 ¥88.1

$16.45 ฿555

-19.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.14 ¥20.84

$2.78 ฿93.9

12.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ¥85.9

$9.31 ฿314

38.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.48

$2.35 ฿79.4

-13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.42

$0.97 ฿32.79

30.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 ¥11.75

$1.60 ฿53.9

10.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.62

$1.50 ฿50.6

-54.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.87

$1.28 ฿43.11

-54.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.89

$1.10 ฿37.18

-19.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.71 ฿23.82

-12.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.49 ฿16.36

-12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.68 ¥37.76

$4.14 ฿140

37.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.70 ¥51.2

$17.52 ฿591

-56.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.18

$1.61 ฿54.5

-42.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ¥12.22

$2.78 ฿93.9

-33.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 ¥1.13

$0.87 ฿29.30

-80.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.65 ¥117

$54.1 ฿1,825

-67.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$1.16 ฿39.04

0.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ¥1.39

$0.53 ฿17.80

-60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥20.49

$2.42 ฿81.7

27.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ¥8.06

$1.45 ฿48.88

-16.55%

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

$15.7K ¥104.3K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

-25.47%

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

$15.9K ¥105.5K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-41.09%

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

$56.9 ¥378

$62.2 ฿2,098

-8.43%

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

$6.26 ¥41.62

$12.17 ฿411

-48.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.44 ¥76.0

$20.12 ฿679

-43.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.72 ¥224

$37.31 ฿1,259

-9.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.45 ¥109

$3.77 ฿127

336.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.18 ¥34.44

$6.49 ฿219

-20.18%

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

$408 ¥2,714

$736 ฿24.8K

-44.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥160.7K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

63.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 ¥395

$53.4 ฿1,801

11.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.08 ¥173

$24.64 ฿831

5.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 ¥550

$91.5 ฿3,087

-9.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.5 ¥502

$71.9 ฿2,427

4.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 ¥1,385

$482 ฿16.3K

-56.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 ¥1,091

$309 ฿10.4K

-46.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$341 ¥2,268

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-66.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 ¥1,788

$633 ฿21.4K

-57.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,691 ¥11.2K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-28.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,145 ¥7,606

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-27.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$952 ¥6,328

$590 ฿19.9K

61.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.75

5.57

-32.68%

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

Last update for Hohhot: 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

Hohhot

$204 28.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 14.9% $30

Accommodation & Living

Hohhot

$164 22.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 88.1% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Hohhot

$110 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 1% $1

Eating Out

Hohhot

$108 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 28.4% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hohhot

$75 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 26.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Hohhot

$44 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 14% $6.2

Getting Around

Hohhot

$21 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 198% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $208 in Hohhot 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 61% higher in Hohhot, 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 $23 in Hohhot versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $204 in Hohhot vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Hohhot wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hohhot

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

17:17 5:17 PM

1 h behind Hohhot

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,446,100

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 = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 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

Hohhot Chiang Mai 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Hohhot
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Hohhot, 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 $1,088 per month in Hohhot 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 Hohhot, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $408 per month in Hohhot and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $726 in Hohhot and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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