Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aichi and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,061 in Aichi, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Aichi
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Aichi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Aichi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,061

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,061 per month in Aichi vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aichi $1,061
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,686 per month in Aichi vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aichi $1,686
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,311 per month in Aichi vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aichi $2,311
Chiang Mai $1,979

Aichi costs about 13% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Aichi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Aichi 22% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,026

$2.24 ฿75.7

190.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.45 ¥5,439

$19.00 ฿642

81.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 ¥782

$5.55 ฿188

-10.81%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥539

$1.67 ฿56.6

104.79%

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

$0.99 ¥156

$0.64 ฿21.56

54.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.31 ฿10.32

154.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ¥405

$2.36 ฿79.6

8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ¥461

$3.66 ฿124

-20.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.95 ฿65.8

-26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 ¥275

$1.44 ฿48.51

20.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 ¥534

$1.33 ฿45.07

154.14%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥316

$2.28 ฿77.1

-12.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.37 ¥1,638

$16.45 ฿556

-36.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.06 ¥957

$2.78 ฿94.0

117.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.22 ¥2,245

$9.31 ฿314

52.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$2.35 ฿79.5

11.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 ¥306

$0.97 ฿32.82

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 ¥294

$1.60 ฿53.9

16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 ¥397

$1.50 ฿50.7

68.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 ¥298

$1.28 ฿43.15

47.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.10 ฿37.22

40.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$0.71 ฿23.84

74.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.49 ฿16.38

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.74 ¥590

$4.14 ฿140

-9.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.51 ¥1,028

$17.52 ฿592

-62.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥277

$1.61 ฿54.5

8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ¥328

$2.78 ฿94.0

-25.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ¥205

$0.87 ฿29.33

49.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 ¥7,930

$54.1 ฿1,827

-7.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$1.16 ฿39.08

168.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 ¥420

$0.53 ฿17.82

401.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.77 ¥3,279

$2.42 ฿81.8

758.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ¥170

$1.45 ฿48.93

-25.52%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

4.45%

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

$15.9K ¥2.5M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-41.07%

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

$95.3 ¥15.1K

$62.2 ฿2,100

53.34%

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

$19.27 ¥3,043

$12.17 ฿411

58.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.86 ¥5,030

$20.12 ฿680

58.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.30 ¥4,942

$37.31 ฿1,260

-16.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.44 ¥1,017

$3.77 ฿127

70.82%

Cinema Ticket

$12.93 ¥2,042

$6.49 ฿219

99.23%

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

$835 ¥131.8K

$736 ฿24.9K

13.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

0.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.46 ¥5,915

$53.4 ฿1,802

-29.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.51 ¥5,448

$24.64 ฿832

40.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.4 ¥9,855

$91.5 ฿3,089

-31.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 ¥14.9K

$71.9 ฿2,429

31.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 ¥62.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

-17.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥47.1K

$309 ฿10.4K

-3.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 ¥151.0K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-4.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ¥99.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

-0.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,862 ¥294.0K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-21.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$953 ¥150.4K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-40.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 ¥250.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

169.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

5.57

-52.60%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aichi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aichi

$298 28.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 3.5% $11

Groceries & Markets

Aichi

$251 23.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 6.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aichi

$146 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 35.5% $52

Eating Out

Aichi

$134 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 41.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Aichi

$103 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 5.6% $5.7

Getting Around

Aichi

$72 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 14.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Aichi

$57 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 12.1% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $396 in Aichi 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.

Salaries in Aichi are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Aichi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Aichi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

05:13 5:13 AM

2 h behind Aichi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

384,654

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aichi Chiang Mai 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Aichi
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

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

Aichi costs about 13% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,592 per month in Aichi 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 Aichi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $396 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,061 in Aichi and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 12% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Aichi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,061 in Aichi and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,061 in Aichi. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aichi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.