Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Fukuoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,307 in Fukuoka, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Fukuoka
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Fukuoka Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Fukuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,307 in Fukuoka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Fukuoka $1,307

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,031 in Fukuoka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Fukuoka $2,031

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,754 in Fukuoka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Fukuoka $2,754

Chiang Mai is about 28% cheaper than Fukuoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Fukuoka are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Fukuoka 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$7.33 ¥1,157

-69.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$43.83 ¥6,918

-56.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.97 ¥942

-7.04%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.72 ¥587

-55.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.06 ¥167

-39.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.75 ¥118

-58.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.85 ¥608

-38.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.16 ¥340

69.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.55 ¥245

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.83 ¥288

-21.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$6.43 ¥1,015

-79.32%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.30 ¥364

-0.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$18.19 ¥2,872

-9.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.34 ¥843

-47.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$18.96 ¥2,993

-50.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$3.62 ¥572

-35.08%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.85 ¥292

-47.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.83 ¥446

-43.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.33 ¥526

-54.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$2.15 ¥339

-40.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$2.59 ¥409

-57.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.03 ¥162

-31.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.98 ¥154

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.98 ¥628

4.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$6.41 ¥1,012

173.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.71 ¥270

-5.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.92 ¥303

44.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$1.29 ¥204

-32.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$52.9 ¥8,349

2.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$4.11 ¥649

-71.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.39 ¥377

-77.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$17.92 ¥2,829

-86.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.10 ¥174

31.82%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$22.2K ¥3.5M

-5.02%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

79.25%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$215 ¥33.9K

-71.09%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$25.33 ¥3,998

-51.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$34.10 ¥5,382

-41.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$48.11 ¥7,594

-22.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.61 ¥1,990

-48.53%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$702 ¥110.8K

4.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

19.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$48.84 ¥7,709

9.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$26.49 ¥4,180

-6.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$65.8 ¥10.4K

39.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$47.48 ¥7,494

51.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$523 ¥82.6K

-7.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$332 ¥52.3K

-6.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,173 ¥185.2K

-14.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$709 ¥112.0K

-10.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$4,674 ¥737.7K

-49.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,568 ¥405.4K

-38.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,647 ¥260.0K

-64.20%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Fukuoka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Fukuoka

$332 25.4% 7.3% $23

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Fukuoka

$317 24.2% 35.2% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Fukuoka

$85 6.5% 21.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Fukuoka

$274 21% 191% $180

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Fukuoka

$152 11.6% 95.9% $74

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Fukuoka

$74 5.7% 20.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Fukuoka

$73 5.6% 45.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $523 in Fukuoka. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Fukuoka are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $44 in Fukuoka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $317 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Fukuoka

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

10:32 10:32 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,612,392

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Fukuoka 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Fukuoka

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 Fukuoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fukuoka costs about 40% 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 $1,961 in Fukuoka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $523 in Fukuoka. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $44 in Fukuoka. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Fukuoka, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,307 in Fukuoka. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,307 in Fukuoka. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Fukuoka makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.