Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhuhai and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhuhai: $787 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Zhuhai
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Zhuhai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zhuhai

🇨🇳 China

$787

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $787 per month in Zhuhai vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zhuhai $787
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,308 per month in Zhuhai vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zhuhai $1,308
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,828 per month in Zhuhai vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zhuhai $1,828
Chiang Mai $1,999

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

Both Zhuhai and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Zhuhai 42% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 ¥18.27

$2.13 ฿71.4

28.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.04 ¥200

$18.62 ฿623

61.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.23 ¥34.82

$5.60 ฿187

-6.61%

Cappuccino

$3.19 ¥21.22

$1.66 ฿55.6

92.17%

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

$0.50 ¥3.34

$0.65 ฿21.63

-23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ¥2.16

$0.30 ฿10.20

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.16

$2.32 ฿77.7

-46.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥14.38

$3.67 ฿123

-41.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥10.49

$2.02 ฿67.4

-21.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$1.41 ฿47.08

-7.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$1.39 ฿46.54

-17.99%

Eggs

$1.64 ¥10.89

$2.37 ฿79.2

-30.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.30 ¥28.61

$16.52 ฿552

-73.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.29 ¥15.22

$2.67 ฿89.3

-14.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.87 ¥25.76

$9.02 ฿302

-57.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$2.40 ฿80.2

-45.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.83

$1.04 ฿34.82

-44.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.44 ¥2.91

$1.66 ฿55.5

-73.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.78

$1.56 ฿52.1

-5.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.88

$1.24 ฿41.39

-41.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ¥3.11

$1.09 ฿36.34

-56.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.76 ฿25.47

-61.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.51 ฿17.19

-13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.63

$4.12 ฿138

-28.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.72 ¥24.80

$17.93 ฿600

-79.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.62 ฿54.3

-64.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ¥11.86

$2.82 ฿94.4

-36.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ¥0.98

$0.93 ฿31.25

-83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.11 ¥60.7

$52.9 ฿1,769

-82.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.79

$1.18 ฿39.35

24.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.51

$0.17 ฿5.73

123.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.24 ¥48.21

$1.81 ฿60.6

300.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$1.47 ฿49.25

-14.97%

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

$15.5K ¥103.2K

$21.0K ฿702.6K

-26.26%

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

$13.6K ¥90.7K

$26.5K ฿886.7K

-48.60%

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

$57.0 ¥380

$62.6 ฿2,092

-8.87%

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

$9.84 ¥65.5

$11.60 ฿388

-15.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.64 ¥111

$20.30 ฿679

-18.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.8 ¥551

$37.88 ฿1,267

118.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.05 ¥213

$3.70 ฿124

766.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 ¥50.8

$6.51 ฿218

17.20%

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

$525 ¥3,493

$727 ฿24.3K

-27.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.3K ¥268.3K

$16.6K ฿554.2K

143.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.72 ¥198

$53.5 ฿1,790

-44.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 ¥268

$24.80 ฿829

62.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 ¥489

$90.4 ฿3,023

-18.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.6 ¥550

$72.0 ฿2,407

14.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 ¥2,917

$481 ฿16.1K

-8.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 ¥1,881

$310 ฿10.4K

-8.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 ¥6,024

$1,058 ฿35.4K

-14.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 ¥4,358

$659 ฿22.0K

-0.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,619 ¥30.8K

$2,418 ฿80.8K

91.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,911 ¥19.4K

$1,609 ฿53.8K

80.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,072 ¥7,135

$595 ฿19.9K

80.14%

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 Zhuhai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zhuhai

$283 35.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 9.7% $27

Groceries & Markets

Zhuhai

$118 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 99.9% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Zhuhai

$102 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 6.5% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Zhuhai

$98 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 48.1% $47

Eating Out

Zhuhai

$90 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 14.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhuhai

$83 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 13.2% $11

Getting Around

Zhuhai

$13 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 349% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $438 in Zhuhai versus $481 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 80% higher in Zhuhai, 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 $30 in Zhuhai versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $118 in Zhuhai vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Zhuhai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhuhai

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:28 7:28 PM

18:28 6:28 PM

1 h behind Zhuhai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,207,090

127,240

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zhuhai Chiang Mai 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Zhuhai
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Zhuhai, 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 $1,180 per month in Zhuhai and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $438 in Zhuhai and $481 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $525 per month in Zhuhai and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 100% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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