Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanning and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanning: $737 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Nanning
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Nanning Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nanning

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $737 per month in Nanning vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nanning $737
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,176 per month in Nanning vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nanning $1,176
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,615 per month in Nanning vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nanning $1,615
Chiang Mai $1,979

Nanning is about 21% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nanning and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Nanning 46% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 ¥19.73

$2.24 ฿75.6

32.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.42 ¥136

$19.00 ฿641

7.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 ¥38.31

$5.55 ฿187

3.78%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ¥15.51

$1.67 ฿56.5

39.52%

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

$0.56 ¥3.70

$0.64 ฿21.54

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.31 ฿10.31

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.84

$2.36 ฿79.5

-62.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ¥15.29

$3.66 ฿124

-37.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 ¥14.91

$1.95 ฿65.7

14.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 ¥14.86

$1.44 ฿48.46

54.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.54

$1.33 ฿45.03

-15.04%

Eggs

$1.93 ¥12.85

$2.28 ฿77.1

-15.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ¥68.5

$16.45 ฿555

-37.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.93 ¥26.14

$2.78 ฿93.9

41.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 ¥117

$9.31 ฿314

89.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.57

$2.35 ฿79.4

-19.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.73

$0.97 ฿32.79

35.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$1.60 ฿53.9

-5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.17

$1.50 ฿50.6

12.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.45

$1.28 ฿43.11

-24.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.05

$1.10 ฿37.18

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.71 ฿23.82

-19.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.22

$0.49 ฿16.36

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 ¥27.10

$4.14 ฿140

-1.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 ¥99.3

$17.52 ฿591

-14.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.61 ฿54.5

-42.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.96

$2.78 ฿93.9

-40.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ¥3.30

$0.87 ฿29.30

-42.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.90 ¥106

$54.1 ฿1,825

-70.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$1.16 ฿39.04

18.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.53 ฿17.80

-13.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.48 ¥49.76

$2.42 ฿81.7

209.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.62

$1.45 ฿48.88

-10.34%

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

$23.2K ¥154.6K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

10.34%

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

$13.2K ¥88.2K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-50.83%

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

$33.66 ¥224

$62.2 ฿2,098

-45.86%

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

$14.52 ¥96.6

$12.17 ฿411

19.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.84 ¥72.2

$20.12 ฿679

-46.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.0 ¥506

$37.31 ฿1,259

103.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 ¥49.41

$3.77 ฿127

97.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 ¥46.14

$6.49 ฿219

6.78%

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

$304 ¥2,020

$736 ฿24.8K

-58.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,423 ¥29.4K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-70.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.68 ¥131

$53.4 ฿1,801

-63.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.48 ¥196

$24.64 ฿831

19.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.5 ¥436

$91.5 ฿3,087

-28.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.4 ¥481

$71.9 ฿2,427

0.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ¥1,669

$482 ฿16.3K

-47.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ¥1,036

$309 ฿10.4K

-49.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 ¥2,580

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-61.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,959

$633 ฿21.4K

-53.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,516 ¥23.4K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

48.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,577 ¥10.5K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-0.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 ¥4,438

$590 ฿19.9K

13.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.63

5.57

-34.83%

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

Last update for Nanning: 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

Nanning

$245 33.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 4.4% $11

Accommodation & Living

Nanning

$156 21.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 98.3% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Nanning

$90 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 44% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Nanning

$84 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 29.1% $24

Eating Out

Nanning

$81 11%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 4.5% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanning

$59 8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60% $35

Getting Around

Nanning

$22 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 184% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $251 in Nanning 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 13% higher in Nanning, 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 $20 in Nanning versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanning

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

01:51 1:51 AM

1 h behind Nanning

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,741,584

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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 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

Nanning Chiang Mai 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nanning
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 27% more than Nanning, 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 $1,105 per month in Nanning 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 Nanning, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $251 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $304 per month in Nanning and $736 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 4% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $737 in Nanning and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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