Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Akita and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,213 in Akita, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Akita
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Akita Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Akita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,213

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Akita vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Akita $1,210
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,923 per month in Akita vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Akita $1,923
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,636 per month in Akita vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Akita $2,636
Chiang Mai $1,914

Akita costs about 29% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Akita and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Akita 10% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.21 ¥981

$2.29 ฿76.5

171.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.98 ¥5,052

$19.64 ฿656

62.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥775

$5.61 ฿188

-12.66%

Cappuccino

$3.54 ¥559

$1.66 ฿55.6

113.25%

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

$0.99 ¥156

$0.70 ฿23.40

41.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.31 ฿10.24

161.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 ¥306

$2.41 ฿80.4

-19.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ¥493

$3.71 ฿124

-15.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.95 ฿65.3

-22.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥252

$1.41 ฿47.03

12.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.11 ¥650

$1.31 ฿43.62

213.74%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥323

$2.18 ฿72.9

-6.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ¥1,610

$16.65 ฿556

-38.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ¥1,031

$2.76 ฿92.2

136.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 ¥2,565

$9.11 ฿304

78.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 ¥573

$2.39 ฿80.0

51.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ¥355

$1.03 ฿34.26

118.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 ¥448

$1.63 ฿54.4

73.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 ¥663

$1.50 ฿50.0

180.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 ¥384

$1.29 ฿43.13

88.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ¥392

$1.11 ฿37.03

123.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥204

$0.72 ฿24.08

79.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$0.53 ฿17.59

52.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 ¥634

$4.31 ฿144

-6.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 ¥1,039

$17.95 ฿600

-63.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥296

$1.58 ฿52.9

18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥327

$2.84 ฿95.0

-27.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥239

$0.86 ฿28.86

75.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.0 ¥8,525

$53.3 ฿1,780

1.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥503

$1.21 ฿40.29

163.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ¥440

$0.57 ฿18.99

389.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.55 ¥2,931

$2.35 ฿78.6

689.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥207

$1.44 ฿47.96

-9.03%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

4.60%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-43.45%

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

$135 ¥21.3K

$62.3 ฿2,083

115.93%

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

$24.50 ¥3,871

$12.11 ฿405

102.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.46 ¥4,971

$19.94 ฿666

57.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 ¥8,332

$37.07 ฿1,239

42.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$11.84 ¥1,870

$6.50 ฿217

82.15%

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

$507 ¥80.1K

$793 ฿26.5K

-36.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ¥2.0M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-14.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.47 ¥6,552

$53.7 ฿1,796

-22.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.21 ¥7,301

$24.62 ฿823

87.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 ¥13.4K

$90.9 ฿3,036

-6.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ¥13.9K

$71.1 ฿2,378

23.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥83.1K

$455 ฿15.2K

15.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ¥53.1K

$298 ฿9,954

12.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 ¥172.1K

$908 ฿30.4K

19.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 ¥114.1K

$554 ฿18.5K

30.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,173 ¥659.3K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

116.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,782 ¥281.5K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

23.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,613 ¥254.9K

$591 ฿19.7K

173.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

5.57

-60.32%

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

Last update for Akita: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Akita

$336 27.7%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 11.4% $38

Groceries & Markets

Akita

$285 23.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 17.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Akita

$191 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 50.5% $96

Eating Out

Akita

$130 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 39.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Akita

$117 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 7.7% $9

Getting Around

Akita

$77 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 21.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Akita

$76 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 34.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Akita versus $464 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 168% higher in Akita, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Akita versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Akita

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

2 h behind Akita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

307,672

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Akita Chiang Mai 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Akita
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

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

Akita costs about 29% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,815 per month in Akita and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 1% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $506 per month in Akita and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Akita at $1,210. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Akita it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,210 in Akita. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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