Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhoukou and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoukou: $753 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zhoukou
Learn more

Zhoukou Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Zhoukou

🇨🇳 China

$753

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $753 per month in Zhoukou vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zhoukou $753
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,195 per month in Zhoukou vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zhoukou $1,195
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,636 per month in Zhoukou vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zhoukou $1,636
Chiang Mai $1,979

Zhoukou is about 20% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Zhoukou and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Zhoukou 45% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.95 ¥26.26

$2.24 ฿75.6

76.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.27 ¥148

$19.00 ฿641

17.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 ¥32.92

$5.55 ฿187

-10.81%

Cappuccino

$3.33 ¥22.14

$1.67 ฿56.5

99.40%

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

$0.50 ¥3.33

$0.64 ฿21.54

-21.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.53

$0.31 ฿10.31

22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.83

$2.36 ฿79.5

-56.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ¥14.59

$3.66 ฿124

-39.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.95 ฿65.7

-6.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.87

$1.44 ฿48.46

13.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.33 ฿45.03

-30.08%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.54

$2.28 ฿77.1

-30.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.30 ¥88.4

$16.45 ฿555

-19.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 ¥22.07

$2.78 ฿93.9

19.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 ¥73.4

$9.31 ฿314

18.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.59

$2.35 ฿79.4

-19.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$0.97 ฿32.79

38.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.48

$1.60 ฿53.9

-1.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.75

$1.50 ฿50.6

-2.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.34

$1.28 ฿43.11

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.05

$1.10 ฿37.18

-3.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.86

$0.71 ฿23.82

-18.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.49 ฿16.36

20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ¥22.65

$4.14 ฿140

-17.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.45 ¥76.1

$17.52 ฿591

-34.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$1.61 ฿54.5

-48.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.67

$2.78 ฿93.9

-36.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.87 ฿29.30

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.09 ¥120

$54.1 ฿1,825

-66.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ¥10.37

$1.16 ฿39.04

34.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.36

$0.53 ฿17.80

-32.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 ¥40.99

$2.42 ฿81.7

154.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.33

$1.45 ฿48.88

-13.79%

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

$18.3K ¥121.3K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

-13.29%

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

$17.9K ¥118.7K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-33.70%

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

$56.7 ¥377

$62.2 ฿2,098

-8.78%

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

$8.57 ¥56.9

$12.17 ฿411

-29.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.55 ¥83.4

$20.12 ฿679

-37.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.75 ¥264

$37.31 ฿1,259

6.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.34 ¥109

$3.77 ฿127

333.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.42 ¥42.64

$6.49 ฿219

-1.08%

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

$447 ¥2,970

$736 ฿24.8K

-39.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ¥110.8K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

12.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.95 ¥252

$53.4 ฿1,801

-28.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.56 ¥210

$24.64 ฿831

28.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 ¥503

$91.5 ฿3,087

-17.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 ¥555

$71.9 ฿2,427

16.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 ¥1,873

$482 ฿16.3K

-41.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 ¥1,246

$309 ฿10.4K

-39.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$670 ¥4,453

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-33.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ¥2,388

$633 ฿21.4K

-43.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,776 ¥18.4K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

17.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,825 ¥12.1K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

14.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Zhoukou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhoukou

$210 27.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 11.5% $24

Accommodation & Living

Zhoukou

$187 24.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 64.8% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Zhoukou

$103 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 5.5% $5.7

Eating Out

Zhoukou

$100 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 22.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhoukou

$78 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 21.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Zhoukou

$53 7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 4.4% $2.3

Getting Around

Zhoukou

$23 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 172% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $282 in Zhoukou 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 $22 in Zhoukou versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $210 in Zhoukou vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Zhoukou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhoukou

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

1 h behind Zhoukou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,953,172

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 = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zhoukou Chiang Mai 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Zhoukou
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 24% more than Zhoukou, 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 $1,130 per month in Zhoukou 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 Zhoukou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $447 per month in Zhoukou 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 12% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $753 in Zhoukou and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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