Mandalay is the cultural center of Myanmar. However, cultural values of Mandalay is declining slowly and steadily in recent years. Mandalay remains the city with the richest Burmese culture, arts, artisans and architecture, as well as the most important center of Buddhist teaching and learning in Myanmar.

Most women and girls use tanakar, a kind of powder from a tree bark as a natural cosmetic substance. Most men wear longins, something like sarong.

With the mass migration of Chinese people in recent years, Mandalay sees the rise of Chinese culture. Some part of the city is already turned into small china towns, with predominantly Chinese architecture.