Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yilan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,008 in Yilan, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. The total is higher in Yilan despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Yilan
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Yilan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Yilan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,008

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,008 per month in Yilan vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yilan $1,008
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,731 per month in Yilan vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yilan $1,731
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,455 per month in Yilan vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yilan $2,455
Chiang Mai $1,914

Yilan costs about 7% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Yilan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Yilan 25% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 NT$115

$2.26 ฿75.4

57.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.99 NT$973

$19.18 ฿641

56.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 NT$149

$5.59 ฿187

-17.53%

Cappuccino

$2.88 NT$93.5

$1.72 ฿57.6

67.44%

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

$1.03 NT$33.33

$0.64 ฿21.54

60.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$21.18

$0.33 ฿11.18

96.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 NT$49.41

$2.36 ฿78.7

-35.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 NT$93.4

$3.90 ฿130

-26.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 NT$102

$2.05 ฿68.6

54.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 NT$55.3

$1.40 ฿46.70

22.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 NT$88.7

$1.28 ฿42.89

114.06%

Eggs

$2.62 NT$84.9

$2.25 ฿75.3

16.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.52 NT$925

$16.94 ฿566

68.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.15 NT$264

$2.74 ฿91.6

197.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 NT$554

$9.36 ฿313

82.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.36 NT$142

$2.40 ฿80.3

81.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 NT$61.3

$1.01 ฿33.92

87.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NT$100

$1.61 ฿53.9

92.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 NT$70.5

$1.52 ฿50.7

42.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 NT$38.51

$1.28 ฿42.90

-7.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 NT$61.1

$1.11 ฿37.22

69.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NT$78.0

$0.72 ฿24.09

234.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 NT$27.78

$0.52 ฿17.54

65.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 NT$125

$4.33 ฿145

-10.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 NT$509

$17.73 ฿593

-11.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 NT$45.55

$1.63 ฿54.4

-14.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 NT$79.3

$2.85 ฿95.3

-14.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 NT$24.37

$0.85 ฿28.31

-11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.68 NT$1,189

$53.9 ฿1,801

-31.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 NT$89.1

$1.17 ฿39.18

135.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 NT$31.37

$0.57 ฿19.00

70.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.39 NT$305

$2.37 ฿79.2

296.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$33.23

$1.45 ฿48.32

-29.66%

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

$25.1K NT$814.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

22.71%

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

$19.5K NT$633.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-26.27%

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

$47.16 NT$1,529

$62.3 ฿2,083

-24.34%

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

$15.12 NT$490

$12.27 ฿410

23.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 NT$691

$19.97 ฿668

6.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.11 NT$1,009

$37.91 ฿1,267

-17.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 NT$255

$6.71 ฿224

16.99%

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

$340 NT$11.0K

$797 ฿26.6K

-57.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$537.7K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

11.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 NT$1,781

$53.3 ฿1,780

3.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.44 NT$1,020

$25.05 ฿837

25.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 NT$2,723

$91.6 ฿3,062

-8.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.2 NT$2,016

$73.5 ฿2,455

-15.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 NT$8,930

$464 ฿15.5K

-40.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NT$8,237

$305 ฿10.2K

-16.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 NT$32.3K

$915 ฿30.6K

8.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 NT$23.6K

$552 ฿18.5K

31.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,893 NT$256.0K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

312.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,975 NT$161.3K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

245.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,041 NT$33.8K

$595 ฿19.9K

74.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

5.57

-59.25%

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

Last update for Yilan: 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

Yilan

$375 37.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 36.5% $137

Accommodation & Living

Yilan

$254 25.2%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 19.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Yilan

$105 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 4.7% $4.9

Eating Out

Yilan

$97 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 18.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yilan

$84 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 13.2% $11

Getting Around

Yilan

$47 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 29.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Yilan

$47 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 9.7% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $275 in Yilan 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 75% higher in Yilan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Yilan versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $375 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Yilan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

04:44 4:44 AM

1 h behind Yilan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,907

127,240

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 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 TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yilan Chiang Mai 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Yilan
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

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

Yilan costs about 7% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,512 per month in Yilan 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $340 per month in Yilan 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 57% more in Yilan, 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 Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Yilan at $1,008. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Yilan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,008 in Yilan. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Yilan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.