Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jilin and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Jilin: $722 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Jilin
Learn more

Jilin Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$722

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $722 per month in Jilin vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jilin $722
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,195 per month in Jilin vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jilin $1,195
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,669 per month in Jilin vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jilin $1,669
Chiang Mai $1,979

Jilin is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ¥20.31

$2.24 ฿75.7

36.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.62 ¥151

$19.00 ฿642

19.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.37

$5.55 ฿188

-6.85%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.83

$1.67 ฿56.6

105.39%

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

$0.44 ¥2.96

$0.64 ฿21.56

-31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.31 ฿10.32

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 ¥7.24

$2.36 ฿79.6

-53.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.39

$3.66 ฿124

-36.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.64

$1.95 ฿65.8

-10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.70

$1.44 ฿48.51

11.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.59

$1.33 ฿45.07

-25.56%

Eggs

$1.57 ¥10.46

$2.28 ฿77.1

-31.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.29 ¥102

$16.45 ฿556

-7.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ¥20.73

$2.78 ฿94.0

12.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.08 ¥73.7

$9.31 ฿314

19.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 ¥12.51

$2.35 ฿79.5

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.44

$0.97 ฿32.82

30.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.79

$1.60 ฿53.9

-8.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$1.50 ฿50.7

-14.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ¥4.38

$1.28 ฿43.15

-48.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$1.10 ฿37.22

-7.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.71 ฿23.84

-16.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$0.49 ฿16.38

20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.12

$4.14 ฿140

-8.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.21 ¥68.0

$17.52 ฿592

-41.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$1.61 ฿54.5

-52.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.65

$2.78 ฿94.0

-42.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ¥2.28

$0.87 ฿29.33

-60.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.48 ¥116

$54.1 ฿1,827

-67.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$1.16 ฿39.08

-6.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.53 ฿17.82

-50.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.13 ¥47.44

$2.42 ฿81.8

194.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.43

$1.45 ฿48.93

-12.41%

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

$19.8K ¥132.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-5.77%

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

$17.6K ¥116.9K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-34.81%

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

$61.3 ¥408

$62.2 ฿2,100

-1.45%

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

$8.26 ¥55.0

$12.17 ฿411

-32.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.67 ¥71.0

$20.12 ฿680

-46.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.37 ¥262

$37.31 ฿1,260

5.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.99 ¥113

$3.77 ฿127

350.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ¥42.67

$6.49 ฿219

-1.23%

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

$440 ¥2,930

$736 ฿24.9K

-40.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ¥117.5K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

19.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.55 ¥283

$53.4 ฿1,802

-20.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.53 ¥217

$24.64 ฿832

32.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ¥508

$91.5 ฿3,089

-16.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.0 ¥506

$71.9 ฿2,429

5.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 ¥1,623

$482 ฿16.3K

-49.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ¥1,085

$309 ฿10.4K

-47.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 ¥3,884

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-41.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 ¥2,704

$633 ฿21.4K

-35.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,551 ¥23.6K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

50.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,139 ¥14.2K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

34.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$441 ¥2,935

$590 ฿19.9K

-25.21%

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 Jilin: 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

Jilin

$209 28.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12.3% $26

Accommodation & Living

Jilin

$163 22.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 89.5% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Jilin

$102 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 6.1% $6.3

Eating Out

Jilin

$94 13%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 17.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jilin

$80 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 17.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Jilin

$52 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 3.7% $1.9

Getting Around

Jilin

$21 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 189% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $244 in Jilin 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 34% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Jilin versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $209 in Jilin vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Jilin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jilin

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

03:37 3:37 AM

1 h behind Jilin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,623,713

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 = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jilin Chiang Mai 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Jilin
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Jilin, 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 $1,083 per month in Jilin 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 Jilin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $244 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $440 per month in Jilin 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 12% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Jilin, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Jilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Jilin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.