Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Huzhou and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Huzhou: $815 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Huzhou
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Huzhou Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Huzhou

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $815 per month in Huzhou vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Huzhou $815
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,338 per month in Huzhou vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Huzhou $1,338
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,861 per month in Huzhou vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Huzhou $1,861
Chiang Mai $1,903

Huzhou is about 12% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Huzhou and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Huzhou 40% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ¥30.58

$2.29 ฿77.2

100.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.24 ¥202

$19.64 ฿663

53.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥33.93

$5.61 ฿189

-9.27%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ¥22.02

$1.66 ฿56.1

98.80%

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

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.70 ฿23.62

-11.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.31 ฿10.33

12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.19

$2.41 ฿81.2

-48.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.59

$3.71 ฿125

-40.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.27

$1.95 ฿65.9

-5.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 ¥13.34

$1.41 ฿47.48

41.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$1.31 ฿44.04

-25.19%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.14

$2.18 ฿73.6

-23.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.31 ¥115

$16.65 ฿562

3.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.20 ¥21.35

$2.76 ฿93.1

15.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.91 ¥86.1

$9.11 ฿307

41.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 ¥14.79

$2.39 ฿80.7

-7.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.64

$1.03 ฿34.59

68.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.13

$1.63 ฿54.9

20.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.17

$1.50 ฿50.5

11.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.36

$1.29 ฿43.54

-37.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.55

$1.11 ฿37.38

-11.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.72 ฿24.31

-13.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$0.53 ฿17.76

9.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.36

$4.31 ฿145

-11.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 ¥72.9

$17.95 ฿605

-39.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.87

$1.58 ฿53.4

-44.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$2.84 ฿95.9

-45.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.86 ฿29.14

-66.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.52 ¥124

$53.3 ฿1,798

-65.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ¥14.13

$1.21 ฿40.67

75.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.57 ฿19.17

-24.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.12 ¥60.9

$2.35 ฿79.4

288.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.95

$1.44 ฿48.42

-6.94%

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

$19.7K ¥131.3K

$20.7K ฿699.4K

-5.03%

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

$17.9K ¥119.7K

$26.8K ฿904.2K

-33.07%

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

$58.6 ¥391

$62.3 ฿2,103

-5.95%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$12.11 ฿409

-33.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.71 ¥71.4

$19.94 ฿673

-46.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.06 ¥254

$37.07 ฿1,251

2.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ¥112

$3.78 ฿127

342.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.00 ¥60.1

$6.50 ฿219

38.46%

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

$394 ¥2,625

$793 ฿26.7K

-50.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K ¥185.5K

$14.8K ฿499.6K

87.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 ¥367

$53.7 ฿1,813

2.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.51 ¥250

$24.62 ฿831

52.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 ¥498

$90.9 ฿3,065

-17.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ¥714

$71.1 ฿2,400

50.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ¥1,997

$455 ฿15.4K

-34.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ¥1,275

$298 ฿10.0K

-35.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 ¥4,044

$908 ฿30.6K

-33.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥2,742

$554 ฿18.7K

-25.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,370 ¥22.5K

$1,931 ฿65.1K

74.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,908 ¥12.7K

$1,445 ฿48.7K

32.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,184 ¥7,898

$591 ฿19.9K

100.40%

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 Huzhou: 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

Huzhou

$237 29.1%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 0.5% $1.2

Accommodation & Living

Huzhou

$191 23.5%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 55.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Huzhou

$123 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 12.3% $15

Eating Out

Huzhou

$106 13%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 25.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Huzhou

$77 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 21.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Huzhou

$56 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 10.7% $6

Getting Around

Huzhou

$24 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 154% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $299 in Huzhou 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 100% higher in Huzhou, 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 $30.00 in Huzhou versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Huzhou

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

22:04 10:04 PM

1 h behind Huzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,893,542

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

Huzhou Chiang Mai 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Huzhou
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Huzhou, 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 $1,222 per month in Huzhou 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 Huzhou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $394 per month in Huzhou 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Huzhou, where all-in costs run around $815, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Huzhou 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. Huzhou costs $815 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 Huzhou. 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.