Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Koriyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,210 in Koriyama, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Koriyama
Learn more

Koriyama Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Koriyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,210 in Koriyama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Koriyama $1,210

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,892 in Koriyama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Koriyama $1,892

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,573 in Koriyama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Koriyama $2,573

Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper than Koriyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Koriyama are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Koriyama 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$6.49 ¥1,027

-67.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$31.20 ¥4,942

-40.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$5.20 ¥824

7.69%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.11 ¥492

-46.62%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$1.15 ¥182

-43.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.81 ¥128

-62.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.61 ¥413

-11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.15 ¥500

16.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.49 ¥237

35.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$1.62 ¥256

-12.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$4.10 ¥649

-66.10%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$2.04 ¥323

16.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$10.58 ¥1,675

56.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$6.68 ¥1,058

-60.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$16.50 ¥2,613

-45.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.70 ¥586

-35.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$2.28 ¥361

-54.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.95 ¥467

-43.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$4.18 ¥663

-62.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$2.40 ¥380

-48.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$2.57 ¥407

-57.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$1.29 ¥204

-41.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.79 ¥126

-35.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.96 ¥627

4.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$6.48 ¥1,026

176.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.86 ¥294

-12.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.09 ¥331

34.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$1.44 ¥228

-35.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$58.3 ¥9,229

-9.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$3.25 ¥514

-63.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$2.78 ¥440

-93.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$18.34 ¥2,905

-90.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.12 ¥177

31.25%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$21.9K ¥3.5M

-4.11%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

76.04%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$133 ¥21.1K

-53.01%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$24.27 ¥3,845

-52.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$30.96 ¥4,904

-34.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$51.5 ¥8,165

-26.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$12.92 ¥2,047

-49.61%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$690 ¥109.2K

5.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$12.5K ¥2.0M

32.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$50.1 ¥7,934

6.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$31.56 ¥4,998

-21.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$61.2 ¥9,693

47.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$90.6 ¥14.3K

-20.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$550 ¥87.1K

-12.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$338 ¥53.5K

-8.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$1,033 ¥163.6K

2.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$712 ¥112.8K

-7.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$4,203 ¥665.7K

-42.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$2,309 ¥365.8K

-30.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.21

152.04%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Koriyama: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Koriyama

$338 27.9% 9.1% $28

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Koriyama

$289 23.8% 21.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Koriyama

$105 8.7% 3% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Koriyama

$188 15.6% 99.4% $94

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Koriyama

$132 10.9% 72.3% $55

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Koriyama

$81 6.7% 38.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Koriyama

$77 6.4% 52% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $550 in Koriyama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $31 in Koriyama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $289 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Koriyama

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

08:50 8:50 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

327,692

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Koriyama 4,510 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Koriyama

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 Koriyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koriyama costs about 29% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,816 in Koriyama. 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 $550 in Koriyama.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $690 in Koriyama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Koriyama, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,210 in Koriyama. 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 $1,210 in Koriyama. 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 23% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.