Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Hamamatsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamamatsu: $783 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Hamamatsu
Learn more

Hamamatsu Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Hamamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $783 in Hamamatsu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Hamamatsu $783

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,266 in Hamamatsu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Hamamatsu $1,266

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,750 in Hamamatsu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Hamamatsu $1,750

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Hamamatsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiang Mai and Hamamatsu are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Hamamatsu 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.90 ¥614

-42.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$41.78 ¥6,581

-54.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.19 ¥818

6.94%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.41 ¥538

-51.03%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.10 ¥173

-41.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.75 ¥118

-58.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.61 ¥411

-9.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.11 ¥489

17.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.08 ¥170

80.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.70 ¥267

-15.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$3.67 ¥578

-63.76%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.68 ¥265

35.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.25 ¥1,615

60.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.17 ¥971

-54.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.24 ¥2,242

-34.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$5.80 ¥914

-59.48%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.84 ¥447

-65.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.95 ¥465

-45.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.30 ¥678

-65.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$2.61 ¥412

-50.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.59 ¥407

-57.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.29 ¥204

-44.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.66 ¥104

-25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.89 ¥612

6.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.39 ¥1,006

174.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.82 ¥287

-11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.10 ¥331

32.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$50.1 ¥7,896

7.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$3.11 ¥489

-62.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.63 ¥414

-79.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$20.62 ¥3,248

-88.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.06 ¥167

36.79%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

-2.49%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$15.8K ¥2.5M

70.18%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$130 ¥20.5K

-52.33%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$8.59 ¥1,353

41.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$32.78 ¥5,164

-38.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$17.40 ¥2,741

-78.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.08 ¥2,060

-50.38%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$819 ¥129.0K

-10.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-0.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$63.6 ¥10.0K

-16.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$37.10 ¥5,844

-33.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$61.3 ¥9,655

49.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$103 ¥16.2K

-30.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$7,787 ¥1.2M

-69.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$5,298 ¥834.5K

-70.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,602 ¥252.4K

-63.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.64

110.98%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hamamatsu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Hamamatsu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Hamamatsu

$285 36.4% 21.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Hamamatsu

$119 15.2% 9.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Hamamatsu

$172 21.9% 81.9% $77

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Hamamatsu

$114 14.6% 47.4% $37

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Hamamatsu

$66 * 8.5% 8.2% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Hamamatsu

$26 * 3.3% 48% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Hamamatsu are about 2.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $42 in Hamamatsu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $285 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Hamamatsu

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

797,033

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 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 Hamamatsu 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Hamamatsu

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 Hamamatsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Hamamatsu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $1,175 in Hamamatsu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $819 in Hamamatsu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $783 in Hamamatsu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hamamatsu costs $783 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.