Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiyuan and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $589 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
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Taiyuan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $589 per month in Taiyuan vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Taiyuan $589
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $913 per month in Taiyuan vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Taiyuan $913
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,238 per month in Taiyuan vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Taiyuan $1,238
Chiang Mai $1,914

Taiyuan is about 37% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Taiyuan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Taiyuan 56% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ¥15.23

$2.26 ฿75.4

0.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.73 ¥98.5

$19.18 ฿641

-23.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ¥29.41

$5.59 ฿187

-21.29%

Cappuccino

$2.64 ¥17.62

$1.72 ฿57.6

53.49%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.64 ฿21.54

-26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.33 ฿11.18

-12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$2.36 ฿78.7

-48.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$3.90 ฿130

-44.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$1.28 ฿42.89

-35.16%

Eggs

$1.01 ¥6.76

$2.25 ฿75.3

-55.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 ¥87.0

$9.36 ฿313

39.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.52

$2.40 ฿80.3

-22.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.21

$1.01 ฿33.92

36.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.41

$1.61 ฿53.9

-49.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.77

$1.52 ฿50.7

-23.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 ¥3.20

$1.28 ฿42.90

-62.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.11 ฿37.22

-73.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$0.52 ฿17.54

-11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.75

$4.33 ฿145

-31.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 ¥50.6

$17.73 ฿593

-57.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$1.63 ฿54.4

-46.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$2.85 ฿95.3

-49.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.85 ฿28.31

-63.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.65 ¥91.3

$53.9 ฿1,801

-74.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$1.17 ฿39.18

0.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$0.57 ฿19.00

-59.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ¥24.91

$2.37 ฿79.2

57.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.45 ฿48.32

-13.79%

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

$20.0K ¥133.6K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-2.42%

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

$17.5K ¥117.3K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-33.86%

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

$94.3 ¥631

$62.3 ฿2,083

51.32%

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

$10.27 ¥68.7

$12.27 ฿410

-16.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.74 ¥85.2

$19.97 ฿668

-36.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.17 ¥302

$37.91 ฿1,267

19.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.76 ¥58.6

$3.76 ฿126

132.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ¥44.37

$6.71 ฿224

-1.04%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.60 ¥185

$53.3 ฿1,780

-48.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 ¥449

$25.05 ฿837

168.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 ¥495

$91.6 ฿3,062

-19.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 ¥397

$73.5 ฿2,455

-19.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 ¥1,491

$464 ฿15.5K

-51.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ¥760

$305 ฿10.2K

-62.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 ¥3,719

$915 ฿30.6K

-39.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 ¥1,733

$552 ฿18.5K

-53.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,629 ¥17.6K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

37.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 ¥8,368

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-12.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$928 ¥6,202

$595 ฿19.9K

55.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

5.57

-31.24%

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

Last update for Taiyuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taiyuan

$117 19.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 19.4% $23

Accommodation & Living

Taiyuan

$114 19.3%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 168% $191

Groceries & Markets

Taiyuan

$103 * 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 131% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Taiyuan

$103 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 6.7% $6.8

Eating Out

Taiyuan

$76 13%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 3.4% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Taiyuan

$58 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 12.1% $7.1

Getting Around

Taiyuan

$17 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 256% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $223 in Taiyuan 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 56% higher in Taiyuan, 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 $15.00 in Taiyuan versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $238 – making Taiyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

19:35 7:35 PM

1 h behind Taiyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,525,300

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 18, 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 18, 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

Taiyuan Chiang Mai 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Taiyuan
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 59% more than Taiyuan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $883 per month in Taiyuan 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 Taiyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 295% less in Taiyuan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 131% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taiyuan, where all-in costs run around $589, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Taiyuan 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. Taiyuan costs $589 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 Taiyuan. 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.