Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kamakura

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,165 in Kamakura, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Kamakura
Learn more

Kamakura Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kamakura

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,165 in Kamakura, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kamakura $1,165

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,822 in Kamakura, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kamakura $1,822

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,478 in Kamakura, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kamakura $2,478

Chiang Mai is about 20% cheaper than Kamakura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kamakura are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kamakura 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.44 ¥1,015

-65.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$31.61 ¥4,984

-39.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.98 ¥785

11.45%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.59 ¥409

-35.52%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.11 ¥175

-42.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.74 ¥116

-58.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.56 ¥403

-7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.21 ¥506

14.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.44 ¥228

35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.50 ¥237

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$3.70 ¥584

-64.05%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.02 ¥318

12.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.49 ¥1,654

56.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.92 ¥933

-53.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.54 ¥2,293

-35.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$5.67 ¥895

-58.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.71 ¥428

-64.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.82 ¥444

-43.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.16 ¥656

-63.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.63 ¥415

-51.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.57 ¥405

-57.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.13 ¥178

-37.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.82 ¥129

-40.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.74 ¥589

10.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.52 ¥1,027

168.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.83 ¥289

-12.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.09 ¥330

33.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$1.50 ¥237

-42.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$53.1 ¥8,379

1.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$3.15 ¥496

-63.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.63 ¥414

-79.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$15.63 ¥2,465

-84.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.11 ¥176

30.63%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$21.9K ¥3.4M

-3.67%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

79.30%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$115 ¥18.2K

-46.17%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$23.20 ¥3,658

-47.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$31.50 ¥4,966

-36.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$51.6 ¥8,141

-27.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.92 ¥2,037

-49.77%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$695 ¥109.6K

5.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$14.6K ¥2.3M

0.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$51.2 ¥8,068

4.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$35.94 ¥5,668

-31.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$60.3 ¥9,502

51.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$97.3 ¥15.3K

-26.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$559 ¥88.2K

-13.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$321 ¥50.5K

-3.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,094 ¥172.5K

-8.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$650 ¥102.4K

-2.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$4,071 ¥641.9K

-41.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,427 ¥382.6K

-34.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,810 ¥285.3K

-67.41%

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 Kamakura: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kamakura

$321 27.5% 3.8% $12

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kamakura

$288 24.7% 22.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kamakura

$110 9.5% 1.3% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kamakura

$170 14.6% 80.2% $76

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kamakura

$124 10.7% 60% $47

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kamakura

$75 6.5% 22.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kamakura

$77 6.7% 54.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $559 in Kamakura. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kamakura are about 3.1 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 Kamakura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $288 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Kamakura

🕒 Local time

22:06 10:06 PM

00:06 12:06 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

172,710

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Kamakura 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kamakura

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 Kamakura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kamakura costs about 25% 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 $1,748 in Kamakura. 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 $559 in Kamakura.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $32 in Kamakura. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Kamakura, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,165 in Kamakura. 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 $1,165 in Kamakura. 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, Kamakura makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.