Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Linyi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Linyi: $589 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Linyi
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Linyi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Linyi

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $589 per month in Linyi vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Linyi $589
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $940 per month in Linyi vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Linyi $940
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,291 per month in Linyi vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Linyi $1,291
Chiang Mai $1,979

Linyi is about 37% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Linyi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Linyi 57% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.34 ¥15.52

$2.24 ฿75.6

4.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.86 ¥165

$19.00 ฿641

30.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 ¥31.99

$5.55 ฿187

-13.33%

Cappuccino

$2.65 ¥17.59

$1.67 ฿56.5

58.68%

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

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.64 ฿21.54

-26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 ¥1.39

$0.31 ฿10.31

-32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 ¥6.07

$2.36 ฿79.5

-61.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥13.46

$3.66 ฿124

-44.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥10.07

$1.95 ฿65.7

-22.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.62

$1.44 ฿48.46

0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.43 ¥2.84

$1.33 ฿45.03

-67.67%

Eggs

$1.06 ¥7.05

$2.28 ฿77.1

-53.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 ¥59.6

$16.45 ฿555

-45.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.05

$2.78 ฿93.9

-34.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.21 ¥74.5

$9.31 ฿314

20.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.55

$2.35 ฿79.4

-51.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.73

$0.97 ฿32.79

4.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.74

$1.60 ฿53.9

-36.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.24

$1.50 ฿50.6

-37.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$1.28 ฿43.11

-65.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$1.10 ฿37.18

-65.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.76

$0.71 ฿23.82

-19.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.09

$0.49 ฿16.36

24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 ¥29.74

$4.14 ฿140

8.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 ¥66.1

$17.52 ฿591

-43.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.74

$1.61 ฿54.5

-55.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 ¥8.83

$2.78 ฿93.9

-52.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.06

$0.87 ฿29.30

-64.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ¥6.81

$1.16 ฿39.04

-11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.53 ฿17.80

-52.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 ¥29.50

$2.42 ฿81.7

83.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥7.75

$1.45 ฿48.88

-19.31%

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

$16.5K ¥109.4K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

-21.81%

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

$15.1K ¥100.5K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-43.86%

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

$72.2 ¥480

$62.2 ฿2,098

16.12%

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

$4.70 ¥31.20

$12.17 ฿411

-61.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.05 ¥33.56

$20.12 ฿679

-74.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 ¥356

$37.31 ฿1,259

43.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.38 ¥175

$3.77 ฿127

599.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 ¥34.07

$6.49 ฿219

-20.96%

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

$213 ¥1,415

$736 ฿24.8K

-71.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ¥71.0K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-27.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.15 ¥147

$53.4 ฿1,801

-58.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.68 ¥151

$24.64 ฿831

-7.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.8 ¥464

$91.5 ฿3,087

-23.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 ¥470

$71.9 ฿2,427

-1.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$212 ¥1,407

$482 ฿16.3K

-56.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 ¥773

$309 ฿10.4K

-62.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$499 ¥3,317

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-50.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$209 ¥1,390

$633 ฿21.4K

-66.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,501 ¥9,971

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-36.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$980 ¥6,510

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-38.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$785 ¥5,215

$590 ฿19.9K

33.08%

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 Linyi: 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

Linyi

$164 27.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 43.3% $71

Accommodation & Living

Linyi

$116 19.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 165% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Linyi

$83 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 30.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Linyi

$82 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 15.3% $13

Eating Out

Linyi

$76 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 1.8% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Linyi

$64 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 21.3% $14

Getting Around

Linyi

$3.5 * 0.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1648% $58

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $212 in Linyi 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 33% higher in Linyi, 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 Linyi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $164 in Linyi vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Linyi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Linyi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

16:47 4:47 PM

1 h behind Linyi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,710,000

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

Linyi Chiang Mai 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Linyi
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 59% more than Linyi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $883 per month in Linyi 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 Linyi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $212 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Linyi and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Linyi, where all-in costs run around $589, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Linyi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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