Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nantong and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantong: $750 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Nantong
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Nantong Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nantong

🇨🇳 China

$750

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $750 per month in Nantong vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nantong $750
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,237 per month in Nantong vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nantong $1,237
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,725 per month in Nantong vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nantong $1,725
Chiang Mai $1,914

Nantong is about 20% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Nantong and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Nantong 44% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.15

$2.26 ฿75.4

33.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.57 ¥158

$19.18 ฿641

22.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.43 ¥29.64

$5.59 ฿187

-20.75%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ¥18.69

$1.72 ฿57.6

62.21%

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

$0.63 ¥4.23

$0.64 ฿21.54

-1.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.23

$0.33 ฿11.18

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$2.36 ฿78.7

-69.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥14.56

$3.90 ฿130

-44.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.05 ฿68.6

-21.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$1.40 ฿46.70

8.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$1.28 ฿42.89

-38.28%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.55

$2.25 ฿75.3

-23.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 ¥44.59

$16.94 ฿566

-60.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 ¥24.66

$2.74 ฿91.6

34.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 ¥69.3

$9.36 ฿313

10.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 ¥15.37

$2.40 ฿80.3

-4.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 ¥9.34

$1.01 ฿33.92

38.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$1.61 ฿53.9

-5.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.78

$1.52 ฿50.7

-3.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.51

$1.28 ฿42.90

-47.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.04

$1.11 ฿37.22

-18.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.46

$0.72 ฿24.09

-6.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.37

$0.52 ฿17.54

-3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ¥23.00

$4.33 ฿145

-20.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.14 ¥61.1

$17.73 ฿593

-48.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.97

$1.63 ฿54.4

-54.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.06

$2.85 ฿95.3

-42.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ¥1.40

$0.85 ฿28.31

-75.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.73 ¥98.5

$53.9 ฿1,801

-72.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ¥12.89

$1.17 ฿39.18

64.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.57 ฿19.00

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.78

$2.37 ฿79.2

195.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$1.45 ฿48.32

-16.55%

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

$19.6K ¥131.1K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-4.22%

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

$18.8K ¥125.8K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-29.03%

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

$47.85 ¥320

$62.3 ฿2,083

-23.23%

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

$7.48 ¥50.0

$12.27 ฿410

-39.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.96 ¥100

$19.97 ฿668

-25.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$114 ¥763

$37.91 ฿1,267

201.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.96 ¥80.0

$3.76 ฿126

218.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 ¥51.3

$6.71 ฿224

14.46%

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

$203 ¥1,356

$797 ฿26.6K

-74.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ¥80.1K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-19.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 ¥388

$53.3 ฿1,780

9.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.62 ¥285

$25.05 ฿837

70.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 ¥443

$91.6 ฿3,062

-27.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ¥736

$73.5 ฿2,455

49.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 ¥1,422

$464 ฿15.5K

-54.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$142 ¥946

$305 ฿10.2K

-53.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 ¥4,656

$915 ฿30.6K

-23.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ¥2,367

$552 ฿18.5K

-35.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,720 ¥24.9K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

94.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,249 ¥15.0K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

56.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,289 ¥8,622

$595 ฿19.9K

116.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.57

-37.16%

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

Last update for Nantong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nantong

$182 24.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 30.7% $56

Accommodation & Living

Nantong

$142 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 115% $163

Sport & Entertainment

Nantong

$130 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 60.4% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Nantong

$125 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 12.1% $15

Eating Out

Nantong

$83 11%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 4.5% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nantong

$70 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 34.6% $24

Getting Around

Nantong

$19 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 216% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $213 in Nantong versus $464 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 117% higher in Nantong, 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 $24.00 in Nantong versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $182 in Nantong vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Nantong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nantong

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

21:05 9:05 PM

1 h behind Nantong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,726,635

127,240

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nantong Chiang Mai 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nantong
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 25% more than Nantong, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,125 per month in Nantong and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nantong, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $203 per month in Nantong and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nantong, where all-in costs run around $750, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Nantong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nantong costs $750 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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