Cost of Living Comparison Between Kunming, Yunnan and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Kunming, Yunnan and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Kunming, Yunnan is 0.8% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 6.5% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Kunming, Yunnan is 7.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 2.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kunming, Yunnan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.76 ¥19.13
$2.03 ฿64.2
35.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.51 ¥190
$18.59 ฿588
47.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.86 ¥47.48
$7.48 ฿237
-8.29%
Cappuccino
$3.14 ¥21.72
$2.00 ฿63.2
57.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ¥3.21
$0.85 ฿26.81
-45.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.25 ¥1.72
$0.35 ฿11.13
-28.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.40 ¥9.71
$2.21 ฿70.0
-36.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 ¥14.80
$3.76 ฿119
-43.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kunming, Yunnan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.93 ¥13.34
$1.72 ฿54.4
12.21%
White Bread (500g)
$1.66 ¥11.50
$1.63 ฿51.7
1.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.30 ¥8.97
$1.16 ฿36.66
12.07%
Eggs
$1.79 ¥12.42
$1.98 ฿62.6
-9.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.16 ¥49.56
$15.93 ฿504
-55.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.27 ¥29.54
$3.17 ฿100
34.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.65 ¥73.7
$10.90 ฿345
-2.29%
Apples (1kg)
$1.27 ¥8.80
$2.65 ฿83.7
-52.08%
Banana (1kg)
$0.91 ¥6.27
$1.22 ฿38.70
-25.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 ¥9.54
$1.70 ฿53.7
-18.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 ¥7.88
$1.59 ฿50.3
-28.30%
Potato (1kg)
$0.34 ¥2.32
$1.32 ฿41.90
-74.24%
Onion (1kg)
$0.81 ¥5.61
$1.17 ฿36.99
-30.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 ¥10.49
$0.68 ฿21.46
123.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 ¥3.96
$0.56 ฿17.64
1.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.05 ¥14.18
$4.51 ฿143
-54.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.51 ¥45.02
$19.07 ฿604
-65.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 ¥5.21
$1.77 ฿56.0
-57.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 ¥10.34
$3.18 ฿101
-53.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Kunming, Yunnan
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.61 ¥4.23
$0.96 ฿30.47
-36.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.23 ¥244
$18.90 ฿598
86.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 ¥7.57
$1.36 ฿42.98
-19.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 ¥1.95
$1.35 ฿42.80
-79.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.17 ¥98.1
$8.03 ฿254
76.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 ¥8.14
$1.24 ฿39.34
-4.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.4K ¥141.3K
$21.2K ฿669.8K
-3.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.2K ¥118.7K
$21.8K ฿688.5K
-21.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kunming, Yunnan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.4 ¥355
$71.2 ฿2,255
-27.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.33 ¥106
$14.09 ฿446
8.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.45 ¥114
$17.47 ฿553
-5.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kunming, Yunnan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$69.0 ¥478
$42.07 ฿1,332
64.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.39 ¥183
$6.88 ฿218
283.58%
Cinema Ticket
$6.29 ¥43.54
$5.94 ฿188
5.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kunming, Yunnan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$420 ¥2,905
$307 ฿9,728
36.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.1K ¥90.4K
$14.8K ฿468.2K
-11.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kunming, Yunnan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.9 ¥484
$55.7 ฿1,762
25.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.24 ¥230
$26.79 ฿848
24.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.1 ¥444
$83.2 ฿2,634
-22.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 ¥723
$70.1 ฿2,219
49.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kunming, Yunnan
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$275 ¥1,904
$427 ฿13.5K
-35.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$207 ¥1,430
$237 ฿7,504
-12.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$508 ¥3,512
$802 ฿25.4K
-36.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$343 ¥2,375
$503 ฿15.9K
-31.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,992 ¥20.7K
$2,061 ฿65.2K
45.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,471 ¥10.2K
$1,533 ฿48.5K
-3.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kunming, Yunnan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$856 ¥5,924
$654 ฿20.7K
30.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.45
5
-11.00%

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

Last update for Kunming, Yunnan: March 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities