Cost of Living · CN vs TH
🇨🇳 Shanghai vs 🇹🇭 Chiang Mai: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in China vs $706 in Thailand — 30.21% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Thailand
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -34.1%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -34.1%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -34.1%
Closest to China prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -11.11%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -11.22%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -11.24%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | China | Thailand | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $428 (14,089 THB) | -34.1% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $343 (11,271 THB) | -34.1% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $783 (25,763 THB) | -34.1% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $5.96 (196 THB) | -27.93% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $24.83 (816 THB) | -27.92% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $4.03 (133 THB) | -25.65% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $0.49 (16 THB) | -20.97% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $1.43 (47 THB) | -21.43% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $1.52 (50 THB) | -21.24% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $4.47 (147 THB) | -21.3% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $1.79 (59 THB) | -21.15% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $2.15 (71 THB) | -21.25% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $5.37 (177 THB) | -21.15% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $0.89 (29 THB) | -21.93% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $1.99 (65 THB) | -27.9% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $5.35 (176 THB) | -11.28% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $1.66 (55 THB) | -27.83% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $1.03 (34 THB) | -21.37% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $23.79 (782 THB) | -25.77% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $1.01 (33 THB) | -25.74% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $1.32 (43 THB) | -28.26% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $0.60 (20 THB) | -27.71% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.64 (21 THB) | -11.11% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $73.20 (2,407 THB) | -25.76% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $25.62 (842 THB) | -25.76% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $16.47 (542 THB) | -25.78% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $16.55 (544 THB) | -27.95% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $4.63 (152 THB) | -27.99% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $9.93 (327 THB) | -27.94% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $36.79 (1,210 THB) | -11.24% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $60.21 (1,980 THB) | -11.22% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $82.75 (2,721 THB) | -27.94% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Thailand than China?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $706 in Thailand versus $1,011 in China — 30.21% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Thailand?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $1.99 in Thailand (≈ 65.44 THB), versus about $2.76 in China.
- How much is rent in Thailand compared to China?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $428/month in Thailand versus $650/month in China (-34.1%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.