Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Beppu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $979 in Beppu, rent and utilities included – about $650 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Beppu
Learn more

Beppu Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Beppu

🇯🇵 Japan

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $979 in Beppu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Beppu $979

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,443 in Beppu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Beppu $1,443

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,907 in Beppu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Beppu $1,907

Chiang Mai is about 6% cheaper than Beppu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Beppu are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Beppu 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$6.32 ¥999

-63.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$23.30 ¥3,681

-15.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$4.45 ¥703

26.07%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.03 ¥479

-45.21%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.01 ¥160

-30.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.77 ¥121

-59.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$3.21 ¥507

-24.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.22 ¥351

67.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.45 ¥229

34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.60 ¥253

-11.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$4.42 ¥699

-70.36%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.53 ¥242

42.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$8.99 ¥1,421

85.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$5.52 ¥871

-50.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$9.95 ¥1,571

-8.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.55 ¥561

-32.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.78 ¥281

-42.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.89 ¥457

-43.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$3.36 ¥531

-55.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$2.12 ¥335

-39.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$2.18 ¥345

-49.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.06 ¥168

-32.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.94 ¥148

-43.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.80 ¥600

13.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$6.42 ¥1,014

179.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.43 ¥225

10.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.74 ¥275

63.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$2.53 ¥400

-66.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$31.33 ¥4,949

70.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$4.11 ¥650

-70.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.30 ¥363

-75.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$17.70 ¥2,797

-86.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.11 ¥175

29.73%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$11.3K ¥1.8M

83.80%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

76.64%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$149 ¥23.6K

-58.26%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$12.72 ¥2,010

-4.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$28.21 ¥4,457

-29.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$44.21 ¥6,985

-16.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$3.10 ¥490

21.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.33 ¥1,000

2.69%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$188 ¥29.8K

320.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$12.1K ¥1.9M

22.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$27.92 ¥4,411

92.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$22.03 ¥3,481

11.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$66.0 ¥10.4K

37.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$38.27 ¥6,046

85.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$306 ¥48.3K

48.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$233 ¥36.7K

28.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$573 ¥90.5K

58.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$377 ¥59.6K

46.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$4,209 ¥665.0K

-54.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,559 ¥246.3K

-7.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,360 ¥214.9K

-56.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.97

182.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Beppu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Beppu

$233 23.8% 21.9% $65

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Beppu

$245 25% 4.1% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Beppu

$69 7.1% 35.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Beppu

$190 19.4% 102% $96

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Beppu

$128 13.1% 62.8% $49

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Beppu

$57 5.8% 6.1% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Beppu

$57 5.8% 13.6% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $306 in Beppu. 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 130% higher in Beppu, 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 $23.00 in Beppu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $245 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Beppu

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

12:52 12:52 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

115,321

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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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Chiang Mai Beppu 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Beppu

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 Beppu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Beppu costs about 6% 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 $1,469 in Beppu. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $925 in Chiang Mai and $979 in Beppu. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 70% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Beppu at $979. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beppu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $979 in Beppu. 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, Beppu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.