Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taizhou and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
Learn more

Taizhou Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $774 per month in Taizhou vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Taizhou $774
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,255 per month in Taizhou vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Taizhou $1,255
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,735 per month in Taizhou vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Taizhou $1,735
Chiang Mai $1,903

Taizhou is about 16% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Taizhou and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Taizhou 43% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.76 ¥25.05

$2.29 ฿77.2

64.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.85 ¥172

$19.64 ฿663

31.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ¥30.25

$5.61 ฿189

-19.07%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.87

$1.66 ฿56.1

106.63%

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

$0.53 ¥3.56

$0.70 ฿23.62

-24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.31 ฿10.33

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.82

$2.41 ฿81.2

-51.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.15

$3.71 ฿125

-38.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.44

$1.95 ฿65.9

-4.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$1.41 ฿47.48

17.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.59

$1.31 ฿44.04

-58.78%

Eggs

$1.18 ¥7.87

$2.18 ฿73.6

-45.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.42 ¥130

$16.65 ฿562

16.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.44

$2.76 ฿93.1

32.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 ¥67.9

$9.11 ฿307

11.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.95

$2.39 ฿80.7

-50.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.03 ฿34.59

29.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.63 ฿54.9

-6.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$1.50 ฿50.5

7.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.95

$1.29 ฿43.54

-42.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.11 ฿37.38

-16.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.53

$0.72 ฿24.31

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.87

$0.53 ฿17.76

9.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 ¥28.12

$4.31 ฿145

-2.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.50 ¥90.0

$17.95 ฿605

-24.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.89

$1.58 ฿53.4

-72.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$2.84 ฿95.9

-42.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.86 ฿29.14

-66.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥121

$53.3 ฿1,798

-66.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ¥8.10

$1.21 ฿40.67

0.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.57 ฿19.17

-31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.81

$2.35 ฿79.4

198.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$1.44 ฿48.42

-11.11%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$20.7K ฿699.4K

-6.26%

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

$16.3K ¥108.8K

$26.8K ฿904.2K

-39.15%

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

$48.64 ¥324

$62.3 ฿2,103

-21.96%

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

$8.88 ¥59.2

$12.11 ฿409

-26.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.43 ¥76.2

$19.94 ฿673

-42.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.01 ¥274

$37.07 ฿1,251

10.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.17 ¥101

$3.78 ฿127

301.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ¥49.56

$6.50 ฿219

14.31%

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

$564 ¥3,761

$793 ฿26.7K

-28.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.6K ¥237.4K

$14.8K ฿499.6K

140.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.06 ¥220

$53.7 ฿1,813

-38.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 ¥283

$24.62 ฿831

72.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ¥555

$90.9 ฿3,065

-8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ¥722

$71.1 ฿2,400

52.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ¥1,994

$455 ฿15.4K

-34.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 ¥1,236

$298 ฿10.0K

-37.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 ¥4,267

$908 ฿30.6K

-29.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,537

$554 ฿18.7K

-31.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 ¥22.8K

$1,931 ฿65.1K

77.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,980 ¥13.2K

$1,445 ฿48.7K

37.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.57

-37.16%

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

Last update for Taizhou: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taizhou

$223 28.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 5.4% $12

Accommodation & Living

Taizhou

$185 23.9%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 60.8% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Taizhou

$120 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 9.9% $12

Eating Out

Taizhou

$98 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 20.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taizhou

$69 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 36.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Taizhou

$56 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 10.4% $5.8

Getting Around

Taizhou

$22 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 172% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $299 in Taizhou 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Taizhou versus $20 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Taizhou vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Taizhou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

23:34 11:34 PM

1 h behind Taizhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

615,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taizhou Chiang Mai 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Taizhou
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Taizhou, 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 $1,162 per month in Taizhou and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taizhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $299 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $564 per month in Taizhou 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 5% 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.

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