Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 6.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 42.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 16.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 52.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.80 ¥33.14

$2.03 ฿64.3

136.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.90 ¥248

$18.59 ฿590

93.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 ¥37.34

$7.48 ฿237

-27.81%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥24.72

$2.00 ฿63.3

79.00%

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

$0.59 ¥4.04

$0.85 ฿26.87

-30.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.32

$0.35 ฿11.15

-2.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ¥9.53

$2.21 ฿70.2

-37.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ¥19.19

$3.76 ฿119

-26.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.70

$1.72 ฿54.5

23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 ¥12.38

$1.63 ฿51.8

9.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.30

$1.16 ฿36.75

-8.62%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥11.30

$1.98 ฿62.8

-17.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.57 ¥108

$15.93 ฿505

-2.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ¥21.40

$3.17 ฿100

-2.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.99 ¥76.0

$10.90 ฿346

0.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ¥15.61

$2.65 ฿83.9

-14.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.97

$1.22 ฿38.79

41.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.48

$1.70 ฿53.8

6.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ¥10.04

$1.59 ฿50.4

-8.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.43

$1.32 ฿42.00

-40.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.80

$1.17 ฿37.07

-3.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.70

$0.68 ฿21.50

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.89

$0.56 ฿17.68

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 ¥18.77

$4.51 ฿143

-39.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥75.4

$19.07 ฿605

-42.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.75

$1.77 ฿56.2

-53.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.13

$3.18 ฿101

-49.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.98

$0.96 ฿30.54

-55.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.22 ¥236

$18.90 ฿599

81.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ¥14.99

$1.36 ฿43.07

59.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.60

$1.35 ฿42.89

-71.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 ¥57.1

$8.03 ฿255

2.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥7.63

$1.24 ฿39.43

-11.29%

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

$19.5K ¥135.0K

$21.2K ฿671.3K

-7.66%

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

$17.9K ¥123.7K

$21.8K ฿690.1K

-17.74%

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

$53.1 ¥367

$71.2 ฿2,260

-25.41%

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

$8.64 ¥59.7

$14.09 ฿447

-38.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.54 ¥93.6

$17.47 ฿554

-22.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.44 ¥321

$42.07 ฿1,335

10.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.76 ¥137

$6.88 ฿218

187.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.42 ¥58.2

$5.94 ฿188

41.75%

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

$1,265 ¥8,744

$307 ฿9,750

311.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K ¥215.3K

$14.8K ฿469.3K

110.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 ¥403

$55.7 ฿1,766

4.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.31 ¥258

$26.79 ฿850

39.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ¥537

$83.2 ฿2,640

-6.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 ¥664

$70.1 ฿2,224

37.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 ¥6,563

$427 ฿13.6K

122.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥3,933

$237 ฿7,521

140.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,528 ¥17.5K

$802 ฿25.4K

215.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 ¥8,340

$503 ฿16.0K

139.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥96.1K

$2,061 ฿65.4K

574.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,247 ¥50.1K

$1,533 ฿48.6K

372.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 ¥11.7K

$654 ฿20.7K

158.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

-28.40%

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

Last update for Shanghai: March 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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