Cost of living comparison

compared to

Chiang Rai vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary

Chiang Rai is 9.4% cheaper than Beijing.

Restaurants
pay 3.5% less in Chiang Rai
Groceries
pay 5.5% more in Chiang Rai
Transportation
pay 39.7% more in Chiang Rai
Housing
pay 27.9% less in Chiang Rai
Childcare
pay 37.9% less in Chiang Rai
Entertainment and Sports
pay 18.6% less in Chiang Rai
Clothing
pay 23.2% less in Chiang Rai

The cost of transportation and groceries in Chiang Rai are more expensive than in Beijing. Expenses including childcare, housing, clothing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are lower in Chiang Rai.

Chiang Rai vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Chiang Rai instead of Beijing, you would:

pay 3.5% less for restaurants

 
Beijing
Chiang Rai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.21
CN¥29.74
$2.02
THB64.14
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.91
CN¥34.69
$5.58
THB177.61
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.48
CN¥3.39
$0.62
THB19.73

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pay 5.5% more for groceries

 
Beijing
Chiang Rai
Bread
1 loaf
$1.71
CN¥12.07
$1.58
THB50.32
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.47
CN¥52.80
$8.37
THB266.20
Milk (1 gallon) $6.64
CN¥46.96
$6.70
THB213.21

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pay 39.7% more for transportation

 
Beijing
Chiang Rai
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.21
CN¥29.77
$4.83
THB153.73
Monthly public transit pass $31.54
CN¥223.02
$23.26
THB740.04
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $18,225.66
CN¥128,857.25
$20,468.61
THB651,237.92

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pay 27.9% less for housing

 
Beijing
Chiang Rai
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$12.93
CN¥91.43
$14.34
THB456.11
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $935.23
CN¥6,612.19
$268.78
THB8,551.61
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $504.41
CN¥3,566.20
$259.73
THB8,263.81

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pay 37.9% less for childcare

 
Beijing
Chiang Rai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $710.76
CN¥5,025.17
$644.81
THB20,515.64
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $23,242.73
CN¥164,328.40
$7,753.26
THB246,681.03

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pay 18.6% less for entertainment and sports

 
Beijing
Chiang Rai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.12
CN¥7.93
$1.86
THB59.20
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.90
CN¥20.52
$1.28
THB40.70
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.21
CN¥29.74
$3.72
THB118.41

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pay 23.2% less for clothing

 
Beijing
Chiang Rai
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$62.30
CN¥440.46
$62.03
THB1,973.45
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$36.37
CN¥257.16
$19.90
THB633.15
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$81.74
CN¥577.91
$72.88
THB2,318.80

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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