Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Aichi

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Aichi
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Aichi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Aichi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,061

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Aichi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Aichi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Chiang Mai $936
Aichi $1,061

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

Chiang Mai $1,457
Aichi $1,686

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

Chiang Mai $1,979
Aichi $2,311

Chiang Mai is about 12% cheaper than Aichi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$6.50 ¥1,026

-65.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$34.45 ¥5,439

-44.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.95 ¥782

12.12%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.42 ¥539

-51.17%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.99 ¥156

-35.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.79 ¥124

-60.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.56 ¥405

-7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.92 ¥461

25.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.44 ¥227

35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.74 ¥275

-17.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$3.38 ¥534

-60.65%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.00 ¥316

14.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$10.37 ¥1,638

58.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.06 ¥957

-54.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.22 ¥2,245

-34.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.61 ¥413

-9.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.94 ¥306

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.87 ¥294

-14.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.52 ¥397

-40.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.89 ¥298

-32.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.55 ¥245

-29.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.24 ¥196

-42.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.77 ¥122

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.74 ¥590

10.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.51 ¥1,028

169.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.75 ¥277

-8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.08 ¥328

33.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.30 ¥205

-33.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$50.2 ¥7,930

7.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$3.11 ¥491

-62.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.66 ¥420

-80.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$20.77 ¥3,279

-88.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.08 ¥170

34.26%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-4.26%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$15.9K ¥2.5M

69.70%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$95.3 ¥15.1K

-34.78%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$19.27 ¥3,043

-36.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$31.86 ¥5,030

-36.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$31.30 ¥4,942

19.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.44 ¥1,017

-41.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.93 ¥2,042

-49.81%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$835 ¥131.8K

-11.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-0.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$37.46 ¥5,915

42.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$34.51 ¥5,448

-28.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$62.4 ¥9,855

46.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$94.3 ¥14.9K

-23.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$396 ¥62.5K

21.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$298 ¥47.1K

3.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$957 ¥151.0K

5.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$628 ¥99.1K

0.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,862 ¥294.0K

26.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$953 ¥150.4K

66.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,588 ¥250.7K

-62.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.64

110.98%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Aichi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Aichi

$298 28.1% 3.4% $11

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Aichi

$251 23.7% 7.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Aichi

$103 9.7% 5.3% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Aichi

$146 13.8% 55% $52

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Aichi

$134 12.6% 72.2% $56

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Aichi

$72 6.8% 17% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Aichi

$57 5.4% 13.7% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $396 in Aichi. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $34 in Aichi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $251 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Aichi

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

08:01 8:01 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

384,654

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Aichi

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

Chiang Mai vs Aichi: 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,592 in Aichi. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,061 in Aichi. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,061 in Aichi. 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.