Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qiqihar and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Qiqihar: $719 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Qiqihar
Learn more

Qiqihar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Qiqihar

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $719 per month in Qiqihar vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Qiqihar $719
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,135 per month in Qiqihar vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Qiqihar $1,135
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,550 per month in Qiqihar vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Qiqihar $1,550
Chiang Mai $1,979

Qiqihar is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Qiqihar and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Qiqihar 47% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.83 ¥18.82

$2.24 ฿75.7

26.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.34 ¥142

$19.00 ฿642

12.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 ¥31.91

$5.55 ฿188

-13.69%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥19.87

$1.67 ฿56.6

79.04%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$0.64 ฿21.56

-26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.31 ฿10.32

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$2.36 ฿79.6

-59.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$3.66 ฿124

-44.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.49

$1.95 ฿65.8

-3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.64

$1.44 ฿48.51

11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.40

$1.33 ฿45.07

-27.82%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.65

$2.28 ฿77.1

-29.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.06 ¥86.9

$16.45 ฿556

-20.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 ¥20.70

$2.78 ฿94.0

11.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 ¥68.0

$9.31 ฿314

9.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ¥12.35

$2.35 ฿79.5

-20.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$0.97 ฿32.82

29.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$1.60 ฿53.9

-3.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.24

$1.50 ฿50.7

-27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.72

$1.28 ฿43.15

-44.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.08

$1.10 ฿37.22

-17.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$0.71 ฿23.84

-21.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.46

$0.49 ฿16.38

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ¥21.04

$4.14 ฿140

-23.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.66 ¥71.0

$17.52 ฿592

-39.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.32

$1.61 ฿54.5

-50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.70

$2.78 ฿94.0

-42.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.87 ฿29.33

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.54 ¥110

$54.1 ฿1,827

-69.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.16

$1.16 ฿39.08

18.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$0.53 ฿17.82

-37.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.78 ¥45.11

$2.42 ฿81.8

180.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.54

$1.45 ฿48.93

-22.07%

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

$19.5K ¥129.5K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-7.61%

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

$17.5K ¥116.2K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-35.17%

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

$45.64 ¥304

$62.2 ฿2,100

-26.59%

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

$10.04 ¥66.8

$12.17 ฿411

-17.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.64 ¥77.5

$20.12 ฿680

-42.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.48 ¥283

$37.31 ฿1,260

13.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.10 ¥93.9

$3.77 ฿127

274.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.75 ¥38.28

$6.49 ฿219

-11.40%

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

$337 ¥2,240

$736 ฿24.9K

-54.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ¥113.4K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

15.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.67 ¥291

$53.4 ฿1,802

-18.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.41 ¥202

$24.64 ฿832

23.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 ¥470

$91.5 ฿3,089

-22.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 ¥475

$71.9 ฿2,429

-0.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 ¥1,882

$482 ฿16.3K

-41.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,301

$309 ฿10.4K

-36.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$593 ¥3,944

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-41.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 ¥2,380

$633 ฿21.4K

-43.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,050 ¥20.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

29.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 ¥13.3K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

25.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

5.57

-30.16%

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

Last update for Qiqihar: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Qiqihar

$200 27.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 17.3% $35

Accommodation & Living

Qiqihar

$196 27.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 58% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Qiqihar

$97 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 11.7% $11

Eating Out

Qiqihar

$85 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 8.3% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qiqihar

$67 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 40.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Qiqihar

$54 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.9% $3.7

Getting Around

Qiqihar

$21 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 196% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $283 in Qiqihar 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Qiqihar versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Qiqihar vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Qiqihar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Qiqihar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

04:21 4:21 AM

1 h behind Qiqihar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,367,003

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 = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Qiqihar Chiang Mai 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Qiqihar
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Qiqihar, 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 $1,079 per month in Qiqihar 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 Qiqihar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $283 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $337 per month in Qiqihar and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.