Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aomori and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,197 in Aomori, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Aomori
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Aomori Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Aomori

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,197

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,197 in Aomori versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Aomori $1,197
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in Aomori versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Aomori $1,893
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,589 in Aomori versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Aomori $2,589
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Aomori is roughly 29% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Aomori 12% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.44 ¥1,018

$2.29 ฿76.5

181.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.48 ¥4,974

$19.64 ฿656

60.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥805

$5.61 ฿188

-9.27%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ¥493

$1.66 ฿55.6

87.95%

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

$1.19 ¥187

$0.70 ฿23.40

70.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.31 ฿10.24

154.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 ¥425

$2.41 ฿80.4

11.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥510

$3.71 ฿124

-12.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥232

$1.95 ฿65.3

-24.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥244

$1.41 ฿47.03

9.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 ¥645

$1.31 ฿43.62

211.45%

Eggs

$2.10 ¥332

$2.18 ฿72.9

-3.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 ¥1,623

$16.65 ฿556

-38.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ¥1,052

$2.76 ฿92.2

141.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.32 ¥2,578

$9.11 ฿304

79.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 ¥580

$2.39 ฿80.0

53.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 ¥356

$1.03 ฿34.26

119.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 ¥458

$1.63 ฿54.4

77.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 ¥646

$1.50 ฿50.0

172.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 ¥386

$1.29 ฿43.13

89.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 ¥405

$1.11 ฿37.03

131.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥204

$0.72 ฿24.08

79.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥127

$0.53 ฿17.59

50.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥631

$4.31 ฿144

-7.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 ¥1,042

$17.95 ฿600

-63.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥285

$1.58 ฿52.9

14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥332

$2.84 ฿95.0

-26.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 ¥231

$0.86 ฿28.86

69.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.5 ¥8,451

$53.3 ฿1,780

0.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥485

$1.21 ฿40.29

153.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ¥458

$0.57 ฿18.99

408.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.51 ¥2,925

$2.35 ฿78.6

687.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 ¥160

$1.44 ฿47.96

-29.86%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

4.54%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-42.37%

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

$132 ¥20.9K

$62.3 ฿2,083

112.40%

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

$24.30 ¥3,839

$12.11 ฿405

100.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.31 ¥4,947

$19.94 ฿666

57.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 ¥8,375

$37.07 ฿1,239

43.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ¥1,902

$6.50 ฿217

85.23%

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

$511 ¥80.7K

$793 ฿26.5K

-35.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ¥2.0M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-14.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 ¥7,970

$53.7 ฿1,796

-6.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 ¥4,999

$24.62 ฿823

28.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.5 ¥9,708

$90.9 ฿3,036

-32.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.4 ¥14.1K

$71.1 ฿2,378

25.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 ¥85.1K

$455 ฿15.2K

18.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥52.5K

$298 ฿9,954

11.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 ¥176.0K

$908 ฿30.4K

22.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 ¥117.4K

$554 ฿18.5K

34.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,143 ¥654.5K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

114.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,774 ¥280.2K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

22.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 Aomori: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aomori

$333 27.8%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 10.4% $35

Groceries & Markets

Aomori

$286 23.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 17.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aomori

$188 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 49.8% $94

Eating Out

Aomori

$132 11%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 40.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Aomori

$105 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 3.2% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Aomori

$77 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.1% $27

Getting Around

Aomori

$77 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 21% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $539 in Aomori and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Aomori vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $286 vs $235 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Aomori

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

2 h behind Aomori

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

275,192

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 →

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Aomori Chiang Mai 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Aomori
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

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

Aomori and Chiang Mai differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,197 vs $925 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,795 in Aomori and $1,388 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $539 in Aomori versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $511 in Aomori versus $793 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Aomori. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $1,197 in Aomori, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Aomori. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Aomori and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Aomori. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.