Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Asahikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,189 in Asahikawa, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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 Asahikawa
Learn more

Asahikawa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,189 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Asahikawa $1,189

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,948 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Asahikawa $1,948

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,706 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Asahikawa $2,706

Chiang Mai is about 21% cheaper than Asahikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Asahikawa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Asahikawa 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.31 ¥997

-64.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$32.58 ¥5,146

-41.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.55 ¥719

21.98%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.10 ¥490

-46.13%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.26 ¥199

-49.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.71 ¥112

-56.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.87 ¥453

-17.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.00 ¥474

22.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.52 ¥241

28.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.52 ¥239

-5.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$3.95 ¥624

-66.33%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.26 ¥358

0.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.74 ¥1,696

53.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.72 ¥1,061

-58.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$16.29 ¥2,573

-42.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.20 ¥505

-26.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.62 ¥414

-62.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.46 ¥388

-34.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.62 ¥730

-67.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$2.73 ¥431

-53.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$2.31 ¥365

-52.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.37 ¥216

-48.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.87 ¥137

-43.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.94 ¥622

5.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.66 ¥1,210

128.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.76 ¥277

-8.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.87 ¥296

48.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.64 ¥259

-46.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$53.1 ¥8,393

1.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$3.07 ¥485

-62.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$2.68 ¥423

-80.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$21.03 ¥3,321

-88.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.17 ¥185

23.93%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$22.6K ¥3.6M

-6.78%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$13.6K ¥2.2M

97.37%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$154 ¥24.3K

-59.65%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$25.29 ¥3,993

-51.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$34.28 ¥5,414

-41.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$55.3 ¥8,733

-32.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.20 ¥1,926

-46.80%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$630 ¥99.5K

16.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$11.3K ¥1.8M

30.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$51.4 ¥8,114

3.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$27.99 ¥4,420

-11.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$59.6 ¥9,418

53.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$102 ¥16.1K

-29.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$611 ¥96.5K

-21.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$291 ¥45.9K

6.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$987 ¥155.9K

1.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$809 ¥127.8K

-21.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,455 ¥703.6K

-46.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,602 ¥411.0K

-38.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Asahikawa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Asahikawa

$291 24.4% 5.9% $18

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Asahikawa

$291 24.5% 24.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Asahikawa

$109 9.1% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Asahikawa

$214 18% 126% $119

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Asahikawa

$130 10.9% 67% $52

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Asahikawa

$76 6.4% 24.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Asahikawa

$80 6.7% 58.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $611 in Asahikawa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $33 in Asahikawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $291 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

23:39 11:39 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

329,306

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Asahikawa 4,890 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Asahikawa

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 Asahikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $1,189 in Asahikawa – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,784 in Asahikawa. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $611 in Asahikawa.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,189 in Asahikawa. That makes Chiang Mai about 21% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $630 in Asahikawa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,189 in Asahikawa. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,189 in Asahikawa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.