Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Putian and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $518 per month in Putian vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Putian $518
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $854 per month in Putian vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Putian $854
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,190 per month in Putian vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Putian $1,190
Chiang Mai $1,903

Putian is about 44% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Putian and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Putian 62% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ¥14.79

$2.29 ฿76.5

-3.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.26 ¥156

$19.64 ฿656

18.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.57

$5.61 ฿188

-7.84%

Cappuccino

$2.44 ¥16.32

$1.66 ฿55.6

46.99%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.70 ฿23.40

-38.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.31 ฿10.24

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.16

$2.41 ฿80.4

-68.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ¥19.58

$3.71 ฿124

-21.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$1.95 ฿65.3

-24.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 ¥15.07

$1.41 ฿47.03

59.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.19

$1.31 ฿43.62

-29.01%

Eggs

$1.58 ¥10.58

$2.18 ฿72.9

-27.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$16.65 ฿556

-29.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.43 ¥16.22

$2.76 ฿92.2

-11.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.18 ¥81.4

$9.11 ฿304

33.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 ¥17.03

$2.39 ฿80.0

6.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.49

$1.03 ฿34.26

37.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 ¥11.34

$1.63 ฿54.4

4.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ¥13.25

$1.50 ฿50.0

32.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$1.29 ฿43.13

-20.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ¥11.86

$1.11 ฿37.03

59.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.19

$0.72 ฿24.08

29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.36

$0.53 ฿17.59

-5.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.31

$4.31 ฿144

-29.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 ¥74.8

$17.95 ฿600

-37.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.58

$1.58 ฿52.9

-47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.44

$2.84 ฿95.0

-39.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ¥4.92

$0.86 ฿28.86

-13.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.38 ¥150

$53.3 ฿1,780

-58.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$1.21 ฿40.29

25.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.57 ฿18.99

-49.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.94

$2.35 ฿78.6

198.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.44 ฿47.96

-9.03%

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

$19.4K ¥129.8K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-6.35%

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

$17.8K ¥118.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-33.70%

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

$44.03 ¥294

$62.3 ฿2,083

-29.36%

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

$8.87 ¥59.3

$12.11 ฿405

-26.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.55 ¥70.6

$19.94 ฿666

-47.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 ¥67.4

$6.50 ฿217

55.08%

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

$492 ¥3,286

$793 ฿26.5K

-37.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.6K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

65.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.10 ¥261

$53.7 ฿1,796

-27.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.11 ¥195

$24.62 ฿823

18.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ¥691

$90.9 ฿3,036

13.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.7 ¥573

$71.1 ฿2,378

20.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,637 ¥17.6K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

36.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,115 ¥7,452

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-22.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$480 ¥3,211

$591 ฿19.7K

-18.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.57

-37.88%

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

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Putian

$215 41.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 9.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Putian

$116 22.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 6.6% $7.6

Eating Out

Putian

$75 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 4.7% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Putian

$63 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 48.7% $31

Getting Around

Putian

$28 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 115% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Putian

$20 * 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 148% $30

Accommodation & Living

Putian

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 23% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Putian versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Putian vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Putian wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Putian

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

1 h behind Putian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,954,000

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 23, 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 23, 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

Putian Chiang Mai 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Putian
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 79% more than Putian, 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 $777 per month in Putian and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $492 per month in Putian and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Putian, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Putian 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. Putian costs $518 versus $925 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 Putian. 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.