Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Fukui

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,039 in Fukui, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Fukui
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Fukui Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Fukui

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,039

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,039 in Fukui, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Fukui $1,039

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,658 in Fukui, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Fukui $1,658

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,277 in Fukui, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Fukui $2,277

Chiang Mai is about 10% cheaper than Fukui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Fukui are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Fukui 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.2

$4.45 ¥705

-52.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿622

$31.80 ¥5,036

-41.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$3.09 ¥489

81.23%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.5

$2.40 ¥381

-30.83%

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

$0.65 ฿21.59

$0.80 ¥127

-18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.18

$0.45 ¥71.8

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.5

$2.12 ¥336

9.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿122

$2.20 ¥349

66.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.3

$0.84 ¥133

140.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.00

$1.37 ¥216

2.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.46

$3.12 ¥494

-55.45%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.0

$1.63 ¥259

45.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿551

$11.49 ¥1,821

43.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.1

$3.43 ¥544

-22.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿301

$15.68 ¥2,484

-42.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.1

$6.08 ¥962

-60.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.76

$3.10 ¥490

-66.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$6.19 ¥980

-73.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.0

$3.23 ¥512

-51.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.31

$1.88 ¥298

-34.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.27

$1.91 ¥303

-42.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.43

$1.29 ¥204

-41.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.16

$1.03 ¥164

-50.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.51 ¥556

17.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿598

$6.34 ¥1,005

182.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.2

$1.74 ¥276

-6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.2

$1.53 ¥243

84.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.19

$1.44 ¥229

-35.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,766

$56.1 ¥8,891

-5.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.28

$3.10 ¥491

-61.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.72

$1.88 ¥299

-90.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.5

$32.26 ¥5,109

-94.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.16

$1.04 ¥165

41.35%

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

$21.0K ฿701.4K

$8,950 ¥1.4M

134.76%

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

$26.5K ฿885.1K

$12.3K ¥2.0M

114.72%

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

$62.6 ฿2,088

$89.6 ¥14.2K

-30.19%

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

$11.60 ฿387

$12.58 ¥1,993

-7.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿678

$37.43 ¥5,927

-45.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,264

$51.3 ¥8,131

-26.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿123

$3.68 ¥583

0.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿217

$6.77 ¥1,073

-3.84%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$321 ¥50.8K

126.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿553.2K

$9,375 ¥1.5M

76.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,787

$19.20 ¥3,040

178.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿828

$12.76 ¥2,021

94.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,017

$32.03 ¥5,073

182.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,402

$31.35 ¥4,965

129.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$545 ¥86.3K

-11.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.3K

$342 ¥54.2K

-9.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.3K

$1,003 ¥158.8K

5.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$736 ¥116.6K

-10.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.7K

$4,287 ¥679.0K

-43.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.7K

$2,485 ¥393.6K

-35.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,960 ¥310.5K

-69.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

457.00%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Fukui: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Fukui

$342 32.9% 10.3% $32

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Fukui

$281 27.1% 18.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Fukui

$43 4.1% 60.4% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Fukui

$140 13.4% 47.8% $45

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Fukui

$94 9% 22.4% $17

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Fukui

$74 7.2% 26.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Fukui

$65 6.3% 27.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $545 in Fukui. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Fukui 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 $32 in Fukui. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $281 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Fukui

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

11:03 11:03 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

267,428

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Fukui 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Fukui

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 Fukui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fukui costs about 11% 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 $1,558 in Fukui. 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 $481 there versus $545 in Fukui.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $321 in Fukui. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Fukui, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,039 in Fukui. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,039 in Fukui. 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, Fukui makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.