Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Aomori

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,219 in Aomori, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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 Aomori
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Aomori Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Aomori

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $1,219 in Aomori.

Chiang Mai $935
Aomori $1,219

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $1,911 in Aomori.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Aomori $1,911

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $2,602 in Aomori.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Aomori $2,602

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 23% less than in Aomori, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Aomori 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$6.20 ¥982

-65.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$32.12 ¥5,090

-42.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$4.93 ¥782

13.59%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$3.11 ¥493

-46.62%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.16 ¥184

-43.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.79 ¥126

-62.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$2.64 ¥418

-12.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.14 ¥498

16.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.48 ¥235

36.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.62 ¥256

-12.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$4.22 ¥668

-67.06%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.10 ¥333

12.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$10.44 ¥1,654

58.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$6.57 ¥1,042

-59.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$16.53 ¥2,620

-45.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$3.64 ¥577

-34.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$2.28 ¥362

-54.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.98 ¥472

-44.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$4.23 ¥670

-63.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$2.47 ¥391

-49.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$2.61 ¥414

-58.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.23 ¥195

-38.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.87 ¥137

-41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.93 ¥622

4.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$6.79 ¥1,076

164.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.89 ¥299

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.10 ¥333

34.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$1.44 ¥227

-35.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$58.0 ¥9,193

-8.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$3.14 ¥498

-62.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$2.92 ¥462

-94.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$18.36 ¥2,910

-90.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.02 ¥162

44.12%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

-3.45%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

71.65%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$137 ¥21.7K

-54.39%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$24.50 ¥3,883

-52.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$31.77 ¥5,034

-36.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$50.7 ¥8,036

-25.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$12.86 ¥2,038

-49.38%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$705 ¥111.7K

3.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$12.6K ¥2.0M

31.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$49.60 ¥7,859

7.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$31.35 ¥4,968

-20.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$62.5 ¥9,902

44.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$89.4 ¥14.2K

-19.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$547 ¥86.6K

-11.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$344 ¥54.4K

-9.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$998 ¥158.2K

6.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$737 ¥116.8K

-10.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$4,272 ¥677.0K

-43.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$2,317 ¥367.2K

-30.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Aomori: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Aomori

$344 28.2% 10.8% $34

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Aomori

$290 23.8% 22.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Aomori

$105 8.6% 3.3% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Aomori

$193 15.9% 105% $99

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Aomori

$129 10.6% 68.5% $52

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Aomori

$81 6.7% 38.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Aomori

$76 6.3% 50.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $547 in Aomori. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $32 in Aomori for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $290 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Aomori

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

15:33 3:33 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

275,192

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Aomori

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 Aomori: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,219 in Aomori, so Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,828 in Aomori 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: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $547 in Aomori. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $705 in Aomori. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Aomori. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Aomori are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Aomori. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.