Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yulin and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Yulin: $699 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Yulin
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Yulin Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Yulin

🇨🇳 China

$699

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $699 per month in Yulin vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yulin $699
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,123 per month in Yulin vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yulin $1,123
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,548 per month in Yulin vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yulin $1,548
Chiang Mai $1,979

Yulin is about 25% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Yulin and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Yulin 49% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.27 ¥15.10

$2.24 ฿75.7

1.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.19 ¥108

$19.00 ฿642

-14.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥32.60

$5.55 ฿188

-11.71%

Cappuccino

$2.14 ¥14.27

$1.67 ฿56.6

28.14%

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

$0.40 ¥2.67

$0.64 ฿21.56

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ¥1.58

$0.31 ฿10.32

-22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 ¥11.30

$2.36 ฿79.6

-27.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.81

$3.66 ฿124

-39.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.24

$1.95 ฿65.8

-5.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$1.44 ฿48.51

13.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.55

$1.33 ฿45.07

-26.32%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.22

$2.28 ฿77.1

-25.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.16 ¥80.9

$16.45 ฿556

-26.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ¥23.94

$2.78 ฿94.0

29.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.61 ¥77.3

$9.31 ฿314

24.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.49

$2.35 ฿79.5

-26.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.82

$0.97 ฿32.82

37.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$1.60 ฿53.9

-6.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.20

$1.50 ฿50.7

-18.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$1.28 ฿43.15

-40.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.61

$1.10 ฿37.22

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.53

$0.71 ฿23.84

-4.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.72

$0.49 ฿16.38

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ¥23.03

$4.14 ฿140

-16.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 ¥68.8

$17.52 ฿592

-40.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.37

$1.61 ฿54.5

-49.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 ¥9.44

$2.78 ฿94.0

-48.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.87 ฿29.33

-64.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.78 ¥132

$54.1 ฿1,827

-63.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.44 ¥9.57

$1.16 ฿39.08

24.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.48

$0.53 ฿17.82

-30.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 ¥52.9

$2.42 ฿81.8

228.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ¥9.35

$1.45 ฿48.93

-2.76%

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

$17.2K ¥114.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-18.36%

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

$17.8K ¥118.8K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-33.75%

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

$57.2 ¥380

$62.2 ฿2,100

-8.07%

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

$8.96 ¥59.6

$12.17 ฿411

-26.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.40 ¥75.9

$20.12 ฿680

-43.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.11 ¥274

$37.31 ฿1,260

10.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.85 ¥112

$3.77 ฿127

346.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ¥43.21

$6.49 ฿219

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

$421 ¥2,803

$736 ฿24.9K

-42.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K ¥107.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

9.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.04 ¥286

$53.4 ฿1,802

-19.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 ¥216

$24.64 ฿832

31.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 ¥497

$91.5 ฿3,089

-18.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 ¥500

$71.9 ฿2,429

4.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 ¥2,186

$482 ฿16.3K

-31.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 ¥1,081

$309 ฿10.4K

-47.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ¥4,079

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-39.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ¥2,415

$633 ฿21.4K

-42.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,146 ¥20.9K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

33.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,915 ¥12.7K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

20.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ¥3,939

$590 ฿19.9K

0.36%

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 Yulin: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yulin

$205 29.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 14.4% $30

Accommodation & Living

Yulin

$162 23.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 90.2% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Yulin

$101 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 7.2% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yulin

$78 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 21.9% $17

Eating Out

Yulin

$74 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 4.7% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Yulin

$54 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 7.1% $3.8

Getting Around

Yulin

$24 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 152% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $329 in Yulin versus $482 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 $16 in Yulin versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $234 – making Yulin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yulin

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

1 h behind Yulin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,700,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yulin Chiang Mai 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Yulin
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 34% more than Yulin, 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 $1,048 per month in Yulin and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yulin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $329 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $421 per month in Yulin and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Yulin, where all-in costs run around $699, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Yulin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Yulin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 25% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.