Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beppu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $979 in Beppu, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Beppu
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Beppu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Beppu

🇯🇵 Japan

$979

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $979 per month in Beppu vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Beppu $979
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,443 per month in Beppu vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Beppu $1,443
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,907 per month in Beppu vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Beppu $1,907
Chiang Mai $1,903

Beppu costs about 6% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Beppu and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Beppu 28% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.32 ¥999

$2.29 ฿76.5

175.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.30 ¥3,681

$19.64 ฿656

18.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.45 ¥703

$5.61 ฿188

-20.68%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥479

$1.66 ฿55.6

82.53%

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

$1.01 ¥160

$0.70 ฿23.40

44.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥121

$0.31 ฿10.24

148.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 ¥507

$2.41 ฿80.4

33.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ¥351

$3.71 ฿124

-40.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.95 ฿65.3

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥253

$1.41 ฿47.03

13.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.42 ¥699

$1.31 ฿43.62

237.40%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥242

$2.18 ฿72.9

-29.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.99 ¥1,421

$16.65 ฿556

-46.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.52 ¥871

$2.76 ฿92.2

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 ¥1,571

$9.11 ฿304

9.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 ¥561

$2.39 ฿80.0

48.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ¥281

$1.03 ฿34.26

72.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥457

$1.63 ฿54.4

77.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ¥531

$1.50 ฿50.0

124.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 ¥335

$1.29 ฿43.13

64.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 ¥345

$1.11 ฿37.03

96.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$0.72 ฿24.08

47.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.53 ฿17.59

77.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥600

$4.31 ฿144

-11.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 ¥1,014

$17.95 ฿600

-64.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 ¥225

$1.58 ฿52.9

-9.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥275

$2.84 ฿95.0

-38.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 ¥400

$0.86 ฿28.86

194.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.33 ¥4,949

$53.3 ฿1,780

-41.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 ¥650

$1.21 ฿40.29

239.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 ¥363

$0.57 ฿18.99

303.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.70 ¥2,797

$2.35 ฿78.6

653.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.44 ฿47.96

-22.92%

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

$11.3K ¥1.8M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-45.59%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-43.39%

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

$149 ¥23.6K

$62.3 ฿2,083

139.56%

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

$12.72 ¥2,010

$12.11 ฿405

5.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.21 ¥4,457

$19.94 ฿666

41.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.21 ¥6,985

$37.07 ฿1,239

19.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.10 ¥490

$3.78 ฿126

-17.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.33 ¥1,000

$6.50 ฿217

-2.62%

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

$188 ¥29.8K

$793 ฿26.5K

-76.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ¥1.9M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-18.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.92 ¥4,411

$53.7 ฿1,796

-48.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.03 ¥3,481

$24.62 ฿823

-10.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ¥10.4K

$90.9 ฿3,036

-27.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.27 ¥6,046

$71.1 ฿2,378

-46.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$306 ¥48.3K

$455 ฿15.2K

-32.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 ¥36.7K

$298 ฿9,954

-21.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$573 ¥90.5K

$908 ฿30.4K

-36.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥59.6K

$554 ฿18.5K

-31.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,209 ¥665.0K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

117.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ¥246.3K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

7.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,360 ¥214.9K

$591 ฿19.7K

130.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

5.57

-64.63%

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

Last update for Beppu: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Beppu

$245 25%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 4% $9.7

Accommodation & Living

Beppu

$233 23.8%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 28.1% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beppu

$190 19.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 50.4% $96

Eating Out

Beppu

$128 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 38.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Beppu

$69 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 55.9% $39

Getting Around

Beppu

$57 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 6.5% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Beppu

$57 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 12% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $306 in Beppu versus $455 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 130% higher in Beppu, 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 $23.00 in Beppu versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Beppu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

09:59 9:59 AM

2 h behind Beppu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,321

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 21, 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 21, 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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Between locations

Beppu Chiang Mai 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Beppu
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

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

Beppu costs about 6% 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 $1,469 per month in Beppu and $1,388 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $979 in Beppu and $925 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 70% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Beppu at $979. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beppu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $979 in Beppu. 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, Beppu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.