Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xi'an and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Xi'an: $735 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Xi'an
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Xi'an Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Xi'an

🇨🇳 China

$735

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $735 per month in Xi'an vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Xi'an $735
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,141 per month in Xi'an vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Xi'an $1,141
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,547 per month in Xi'an vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Xi'an $1,547
Chiang Mai $1,914

Xi'an is about 22% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Xi'an and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Xi'an 46% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 ¥18.41

$2.26 ฿75.4

21.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.75 ¥119

$19.18 ฿641

-7.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.45 ¥29.76

$5.59 ฿187

-20.39%

Cappuccino

$2.12 ¥14.15

$1.72 ฿57.6

23.26%

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

$0.44 ¥2.92

$0.64 ฿21.54

-31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.33 ฿11.18

-12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ¥9.79

$2.36 ฿78.7

-38.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$3.90 ฿130

-62.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 ¥9.53

$2.05 ฿68.6

-30.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$1.40 ฿46.70

25.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.06

$1.28 ฿42.89

-28.91%

Eggs

$1.49 ¥9.94

$2.25 ฿75.3

-33.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.4

$16.94 ฿566

-31.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.97 ¥26.53

$2.74 ฿91.6

44.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 ¥69.3

$9.36 ฿313

10.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$2.40 ฿80.3

-32.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.64

$1.01 ฿33.92

12.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.61 ฿53.9

-23.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.84

$1.52 ฿50.7

-13.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.27

$1.28 ฿42.90

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.62

$1.11 ฿37.22

-37.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.72 ฿24.09

-19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$0.52 ฿17.54

13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.34 ¥22.36

$4.33 ฿145

-22.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.75 ¥65.2

$17.73 ฿593

-45.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.05

$1.63 ฿54.4

-53.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.35

$2.85 ฿95.3

-40.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.85 ฿28.31

-65.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.16 ¥175

$53.9 ฿1,801

-51.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.17 ฿39.18

11.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.57 ฿19.00

-49.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 ¥29.69

$2.37 ฿79.2

87.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$1.45 ฿48.32

-10.34%

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

$19.5K ¥130.6K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-4.58%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-32.40%

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

$90.1 ¥603

$62.3 ฿2,083

44.59%

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

$6.23 ¥41.63

$12.27 ฿410

-49.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.79 ¥72.1

$19.97 ฿668

-45.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.47 ¥197

$37.91 ฿1,267

-22.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 ¥142

$3.76 ฿126

465.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 ¥39.96

$6.71 ฿224

-10.88%

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

$701 ¥4,684

$797 ฿26.6K

-12.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ¥115.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

16.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.41 ¥263

$53.3 ฿1,780

-25.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.49 ¥251

$25.05 ฿837

49.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$91.6 ฿3,062

-17.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 ¥618

$73.5 ฿2,455

25.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 ¥2,093

$464 ฿15.5K

-32.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,202

$305 ฿10.2K

-40.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$863 ¥5,772

$915 ฿30.6K

-5.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 ¥2,314

$552 ฿18.5K

-37.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,368 ¥15.8K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

23.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,638 ¥11.0K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

13.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,089 ¥7,281

$595 ฿19.9K

82.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

5.57

-39.86%

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

Last update for Xi'an: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Xi'an

$193 26.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 23.4% $45

Accommodation & Living

Xi'an

$180 24.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 69.4% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Xi'an

$110 15%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 0.6% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xi'an

$107 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 11.7% $13

Eating Out

Xi'an

$74 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 6.9% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Xi'an

$41 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 23.9% $9.9

Getting Around

Xi'an

$30 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 104% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $313 in Xi'an 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 83% higher in Xi'an, 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 $18.00 in Xi'an versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $238 – making Xi'an the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xi'an

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

16:52 4:52 PM

1 h behind Xi'an

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,183,280

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 19, 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 19, 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

Xi'an Chiang Mai 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Xi'an
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

Xi'an vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Xi'an, 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 $1,103 per month in Xi'an 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 Xi'an, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $701 per month in Xi'an and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% 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 Xi'an, where all-in costs run around $735, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Xi'an 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. Xi'an costs $735 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 Xi'an. 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.