Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shaoxing and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaoxing: $751 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Shaoxing
🇨🇳 China
$751
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$925
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $751 per month in Shaoxing vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Shaoxing $751
  • Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,204 per month in Shaoxing vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Shaoxing $1,204
  • Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,657 per month in Shaoxing vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Shaoxing $1,657
  • Chiang Mai $1,903

Shaoxing is about 19% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Shaoxing and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Shaoxing 45% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shaoxing
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.72 ¥24.81
$2.29 ฿77.2
62.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.22 ¥148
$19.64 ฿663
13.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.31 ¥35.43
$5.61 ฿189
-5.35%
Cappuccino
$2.58 ¥17.20
$1.66 ฿56.1
55.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 ¥4.15
$0.70 ฿23.62
-11.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ¥2.38
$0.31 ฿10.33
16.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.15 ¥7.66
$2.41 ฿81.2
-52.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 ¥14.64
$3.71 ฿125
-40.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shaoxing
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.80 ¥11.97
$1.95 ฿65.9
-7.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.96 ¥13.05
$1.41 ฿47.48
39.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.75 ¥4.99
$1.31 ฿44.04
-42.75%
Eggs
$1.73 ¥11.55
$2.18 ฿73.6
-20.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.67 ¥77.8
$16.65 ฿562
-29.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.31 ¥22.05
$2.76 ฿93.1
19.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.59 ¥70.6
$9.11 ฿307
16.25%
Apples (1kg)
$1.78 ¥11.90
$2.39 ฿80.7
-25.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.72 ¥11.50
$1.03 ฿34.59
66.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.72 ¥11.46
$1.63 ฿54.9
5.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.09 ¥7.28
$1.50 ฿50.5
-27.33%
Potato (1kg)
$0.83 ¥5.51
$1.29 ฿43.54
-35.66%
Onion (1kg)
$0.91 ¥6.07
$1.11 ฿37.38
-18.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.65 ¥4.36
$0.72 ฿24.31
-9.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ¥3.87
$0.53 ฿17.76
9.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.44 ¥22.92
$4.31 ฿145
-20.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.61 ¥70.8
$17.95 ฿605
-40.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ¥5.13
$1.58 ฿53.4
-51.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.62 ¥10.81
$2.84 ฿95.9
-42.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Shaoxing
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 ¥1.54
$0.86 ฿29.14
-73.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.86 ¥133
$53.3 ฿1,798
-62.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.99 ¥13.25
$1.21 ฿40.67
64.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 ¥2.87
$0.57 ฿19.17
-24.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.04 ¥60.3
$2.35 ฿79.4
284.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 ¥8.93
$1.44 ฿48.42
-6.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K ¥129.8K
$20.7K ฿699.4K
-6.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.0K ¥120.4K
$26.8K ฿904.2K
-32.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shaoxing
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$47.33 ¥316
$62.3 ฿2,103
-24.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.90 ¥52.7
$12.11 ฿409
-34.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.14 ¥61.0
$19.94 ฿673
-54.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shaoxing
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.57 ¥104
$37.07 ฿1,251
-58.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.79 ¥45.32
$3.78 ฿127
79.63%
Cinema Ticket
$6.82 ¥45.51
$6.50 ฿219
4.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shaoxing
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$844 ¥5,630
$793 ฿26.7K
6.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.9K ¥166.3K
$14.8K ฿499.6K
68.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shaoxing
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.55 ¥270
$53.7 ฿1,813
-24.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.99 ¥213
$24.62 ฿831
29.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.9 ¥513
$90.9 ฿3,065
-15.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 ¥708
$71.1 ฿2,400
49.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shaoxing
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$434 ¥2,898
$455 ฿15.4K
-4.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$222 ¥1,484
$298 ฿10.0K
-25.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$596 ¥3,977
$908 ฿30.6K
-34.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$450 ¥3,000
$554 ฿18.7K
-18.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,407 ¥42.7K
$1,931 ฿65.1K
231.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,558 ¥23.7K
$1,445 ฿48.7K
146.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shaoxing
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$901 ¥6,009
$591 ฿19.9K
52.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.36
5.57
-39.68%

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

Last update for Shaoxing: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Shaoxing
$222
Chiang Mai
$298 33.9% $75
Groceries & Markets
Shaoxing
$205
Chiang Mai
$235 15.1% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Shaoxing
$115
Chiang Mai
$108 5.9% $6.8
Eating Out
Shaoxing
$91
Chiang Mai
$79 13.3% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shaoxing
$64
Chiang Mai
$94 46.6% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Shaoxing
$29
Chiang Mai
$50 71.3% $21
Getting Around
Shaoxing
$25
Chiang Mai
$61 144% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in Shaoxing versus $455 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 52% higher in Shaoxing, 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 $22 in Shaoxing versus $20 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $205 in Shaoxing vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Shaoxing wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Shaoxing
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
00:33 12:33 AM
23:33 11:33 PM
1 h behind Shaoxing
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912,239
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.8 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Shaoxing Chiang Mai 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Shaoxing
  • 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
Shaoxing vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Shaoxing or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 23% more than Shaoxing, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Shaoxing and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,127 per month in Shaoxing and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Shaoxing compared to Chiang Mai?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $434 in Shaoxing and $455 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
How do childcare costs compare in Shaoxing and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $844 per month in Shaoxing and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Shaoxing or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 15% 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.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Shaoxing or in Chiang Mai?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $751 in Shaoxing and $925 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Shaoxing or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $751 in Shaoxing to $925 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Shaoxing vs other spots: cost of living compared

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