Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jinan and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinan: $641 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Jinan
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Jinan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Jinan

🇨🇳 China

$641

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $641 per month in Jinan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jinan $641
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,061 per month in Jinan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jinan $1,061
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,481 per month in Jinan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jinan $1,481
Chiang Mai $1,979

Jinan is about 31% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Jinan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Jinan 53% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.58 ¥17.20

$2.24 ฿75.7

15.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.83 ¥165

$19.00 ฿642

30.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.84 ¥32.23

$5.55 ฿188

-12.79%

Cappuccino

$2.65 ¥17.69

$1.67 ฿56.6

58.68%

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

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.64 ฿21.56

-31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$0.31 ฿10.32

-25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.79

$2.36 ฿79.6

-63.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥13.01

$3.66 ฿124

-46.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥9.66

$1.95 ฿65.8

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$1.44 ฿48.51

2.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.19

$1.33 ฿45.07

-7.52%

Eggs

$1.11 ¥7.43

$2.28 ฿77.1

-51.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 ¥78.9

$16.45 ฿556

-28.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.48

$2.78 ฿94.0

15.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ¥74.3

$9.31 ฿314

19.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.67

$2.35 ฿79.5

-38.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.73

$0.97 ฿32.82

4.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$1.60 ฿53.9

-14.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.69

$1.50 ฿50.7

-23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$1.28 ฿43.15

-55.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.85

$1.10 ฿37.22

-33.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.71 ฿23.84

-21.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.08

$0.49 ฿16.38

24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.57

$4.14 ฿140

-7.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.91 ¥66.1

$17.52 ฿592

-43.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥4.45

$1.61 ฿54.5

-58.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 ¥8.68

$2.78 ฿94.0

-53.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.87 ฿29.33

-64.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.77 ¥58.5

$54.1 ฿1,827

-83.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ¥10.70

$1.16 ฿39.08

38.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.53 ฿17.82

-52.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 ¥29.22

$2.42 ฿81.8

80.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.45 ฿48.93

-10.34%

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

$19.5K ¥129.7K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-7.60%

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

$15.1K ¥100.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-43.98%

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

$73.7 ¥491

$62.2 ฿2,100

18.55%

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

$6.89 ¥45.94

$12.17 ฿411

-43.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.26 ¥35.09

$20.12 ฿680

-73.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.88 ¥159

$37.31 ฿1,260

-36.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 ¥60.1

$3.77 ฿127

138.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 ¥34.16

$6.49 ฿219

-21.11%

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

$214 ¥1,424

$736 ฿24.9K

-70.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K ¥135.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

37.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.25 ¥222

$53.4 ฿1,802

-37.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.51 ¥283

$24.64 ฿832

72.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ¥477

$91.5 ฿3,089

-21.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 ¥467

$71.9 ฿2,429

-2.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 ¥1,681

$482 ฿16.3K

-47.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 ¥972

$309 ฿10.4K

-52.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 ¥4,080

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-39.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ¥2,405

$633 ฿21.4K

-43.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ¥16.5K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

4.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,307 ¥8,713

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-17.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$962 ¥6,411

$590 ฿19.9K

63.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

5.57

-43.81%

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

Last update for Jinan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jinan

$187 29.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 25.4% $48

Accommodation & Living

Jinan

$146 22.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 112% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Jinan

$98 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 11.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jinan

$86 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 10% $8.6

Eating Out

Jinan

$78 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 0.4% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Jinan

$34 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 47.4% $16

Getting Around

Jinan

$13 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 377% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $252 in Jinan 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 63% higher in Jinan, 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 $25 in Jinan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $187 in Jinan vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Jinan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jinan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

17:23 5:23 PM

1 h behind Jinan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,202,432

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 = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Jinan Chiang Mai 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Jinan
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Jinan, 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 $962 per month in Jinan 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 Jinan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $252 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $214 per month in Jinan 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 25% 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Jinan, where all-in costs run around $641, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Jinan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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