Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Akita

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Akita
Learn more

Akita Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Akita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,213

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Akita actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,213 in Akita, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Akita $1,213

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,904 in Akita, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Akita $1,904

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,596 in Akita, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Akita $2,596

Chiang Mai is about 24% cheaper than Akita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Akita are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Akita 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$6.21 ¥981

-63.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$31.98 ¥5,052

-38.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$4.90 ¥775

14.49%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.54 ¥559

-53.11%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.99 ¥156

-29.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.81 ¥128

-61.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.93 ¥306

24.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.12 ¥493

18.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.52 ¥240

28.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.59 ¥252

-11.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$4.11 ¥650

-68.13%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.04 ¥323

6.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$10.19 ¥1,610

63.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$6.52 ¥1,031

-57.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$16.23 ¥2,565

-43.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.63 ¥573

-34.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.25 ¥355

-54.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.83 ¥448

-42.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$4.20 ¥663

-64.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$2.43 ¥384

-46.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$2.48 ¥392

-55.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.29 ¥204

-44.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.81 ¥127

-34.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.01 ¥634

7.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$6.58 ¥1,039

172.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.88 ¥296

-15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.07 ¥327

37.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$1.51 ¥239

-43.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$54.0 ¥8,525

-1.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$3.19 ¥503

-62.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.79 ¥440

-79.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$18.55 ¥2,931

-87.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.31 ¥207

9.92%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-4.40%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

76.82%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$135 ¥21.3K

-53.69%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$24.50 ¥3,871

-50.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$31.46 ¥4,971

-36.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$52.7 ¥8,332

-29.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$11.84 ¥1,870

-45.10%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$507 ¥80.1K

56.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$12.7K ¥2.0M

16.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$41.47 ¥6,552

29.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$46.21 ¥7,301

-46.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$84.7 ¥13.4K

7.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$88.0 ¥13.9K

-19.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$526 ¥83.1K

-13.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$336 ¥53.1K

-11.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,089 ¥172.1K

-16.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$723 ¥114.1K

-23.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$4,173 ¥659.3K

-53.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,782 ¥281.5K

-18.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,613 ¥254.9K

-63.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.21

152.04%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Akita: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Akita

$336 27.7% 12.8% $38

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Akita

$285 23.5% 21.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Akita

$117 9.7% 8.3% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Akita

$191 15.7% 102% $96

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Akita

$130 10.7% 65.3% $51

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Akita

$77 6.4% 26.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Akita

$76 6.3% 52.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $526 in Akita. 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 173% 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $32.00 in Akita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $285 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Akita

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

21:36 9:36 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

307,672

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Akita

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 Akita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Akita costs about 31% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,819 in Akita. 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 $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $507 in Akita. 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 $925, than in Akita at $1,213. 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 $925 versus $1,213 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.