Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Amagasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,194 in Amagasaki, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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 Amagasaki
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Amagasaki Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Amagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,194

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,194 in Amagasaki.

Chiang Mai $936
Amagasaki $1,194

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,863 in Amagasaki.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Amagasaki $1,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $2,533 in Amagasaki.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Amagasaki $2,533

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 22% less than in Amagasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Amagasaki 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.49 ¥1,025

-65.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$36.44 ¥5,755

-47.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.12 ¥809

8.40%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.28 ¥518

-49.09%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.13 ¥178

-43.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.67 ¥107

-53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.30 ¥364

2.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.82 ¥445

29.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.55 ¥245

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.63 ¥258

-11.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$3.71 ¥586

-64.15%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.26 ¥357

0.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.85 ¥1,556

67.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.77 ¥1,069

-58.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$18.25 ¥2,881

-48.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.06 ¥642

-42.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.05 ¥324

-52.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.75 ¥434

-41.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.80 ¥759

-68.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$2.31 ¥364

-44.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$2.17 ¥343

-49.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.16 ¥183

-38.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.78 ¥123

-37.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.64 ¥576

13.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.73 ¥1,063

160.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.85 ¥292

-12.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.16 ¥341

28.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.27 ¥200

-31.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$54.4 ¥8,598

-0.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$3.32 ¥525

-65.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$3.29 ¥519

-83.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$16.67 ¥2,633

-85.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.25 ¥197

16.00%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$23.2K ¥3.7M

-9.28%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$15.9K ¥2.5M

68.91%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$146 ¥23.0K

-57.27%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$23.32 ¥3,682

-47.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$30.74 ¥4,854

-34.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$43.78 ¥6,914

-14.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.60 ¥1,833

-44.05%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$612 ¥96.7K

20.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$12.0K ¥1.9M

23.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$57.2 ¥9,033

-6.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$27.29 ¥4,310

-9.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$62.1 ¥9,800

47.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$91.1 ¥14.4K

-21.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$593 ¥93.7K

-18.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$316 ¥50.0K

-2.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$996 ¥157.3K

1.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$642 ¥101.5K

-1.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,021 ¥635.0K

-41.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,592 ¥409.3K

-38.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,006 ¥474.8K

-80.38%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Amagasaki: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Amagasaki

$316 26.5% 2.4% $7.4

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Amagasaki

$294 24.6% 25.3% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Amagasaki

$107 9% 1.6% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Amagasaki

$200 16.7% 111% $105

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Amagasaki

$131 11% 68.9% $53

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Amagasaki

$79 6.6% 29.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Amagasaki

$67 5.6% 33.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $593 in Amagasaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amagasaki pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $36 in Amagasaki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $294 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Amagasaki

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

23:39 11:39 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

459,593

💱 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 = 5.67 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Amagasaki 4,000 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Amagasaki

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 Amagasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,194 in Amagasaki, so Chiang Mai is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $593 in Amagasaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $612 in Amagasaki. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $36 in Amagasaki. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Amagasaki on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.