Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ebina

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,149 in Ebina, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Ebina
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Ebina Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ebina

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,149 in Ebina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ebina $1,149

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,830 in Ebina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ebina $1,830

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,511 in Ebina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ebina $2,511

Chiang Mai is about 19% cheaper than Ebina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Ebina are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ebina 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.40 ¥1,010

-65.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$31.28 ¥4,941

-39.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.46 ¥705

24.44%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.58 ¥407

-35.27%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.92 ¥146

-30.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.74 ¥117

-58.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.94 ¥306

21.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.08 ¥487

18.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.23 ¥195

58.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.98 ¥154

46.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$3.89 ¥615

-65.81%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.42 ¥225

60.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$16.00 ¥2,526

2.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.13 ¥495

-11.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.59 ¥2,778

-47.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.95 ¥782

-52.53%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.25 ¥198

-22.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.76 ¥595

-57.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.58 ¥408

-41.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$2.60 ¥411

-50.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$3.11 ¥491

-64.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.18 ¥186

-39.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.90 ¥142

-45.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.83 ¥604

8.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.47 ¥1,496

85.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.91 ¥302

-15.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.17 ¥343

28.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.44 ¥227

-39.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$58.0 ¥9,153

-6.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$3.24 ¥512

-64.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$2.79 ¥440

-81.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$15.99 ¥2,526

-84.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.07 ¥169

35.51%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

-3.47%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

74.84%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$115 ¥18.1K

-45.88%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$24.50 ¥3,869

-50.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$30.96 ¥4,890

-35.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$51.8 ¥8,173

-27.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$19.34 ¥3,055

-80.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.59 ¥1,988

-48.45%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$289 ¥45.7K

154.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$14.6K ¥2.3M

0.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$31.58 ¥4,987

69.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$32.10 ¥5,069

-23.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$61.6 ¥9,723

48.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$64.3 ¥10.2K

11.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$546 ¥86.2K

-11.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$335 ¥52.9K

-7.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,032 ¥163.1K

-2.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$738 ¥116.6K

-14.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,590 ¥725.0K

-48.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,117 ¥334.3K

-24.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,943 ¥306.8K

-69.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.02

175.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ebina: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ebina

$335 29.1% 8.3% $26

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ebina

$282 24.6% 20.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ebina

$85 7.4% 21.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ebina

$170 14.8% 80.3% $76

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ebina

$118 10.3% 52.2% $40

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ebina

$81 7% 31.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ebina

$77 6.7% 53% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $546 in Ebina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ebina are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $31 in Ebina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $282 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Ebina

🕒 Local time

22:13 10:13 PM

00:13 12:13 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

130,678

💱 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 Ebina 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ebina

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 Ebina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ebina costs about 23% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,723 in Ebina. 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 $546 in Ebina.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $289 in Ebina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Ebina, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,149 in Ebina. 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 $1,149 in Ebina. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ebina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.