Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kumamoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,283 in Kumamoto, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
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Kumamoto Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,283 in Kumamoto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Kumamoto $1,283

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,977 in Kumamoto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Kumamoto $1,977

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,670 in Kumamoto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Kumamoto $2,670

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

Both Chiang Mai and Kumamoto are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Kumamoto 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$7.13 ¥1,126

-67.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$31.86 ¥5,034

-38.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.96 ¥942

-5.87%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.22 ¥508

-48.45%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.05 ¥166

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.70 ¥111

-55.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$3.74 ¥591

-35.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.26 ¥357

64.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.36 ¥215

43.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.90 ¥299

-25.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$6.64 ¥1,050

-80.27%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.86 ¥294

17.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$17.81 ¥2,814

-6.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$5.47 ¥865

-49.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$18.87 ¥2,981

-51.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.72 ¥587

-35.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.86 ¥294

-44.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.78 ¥439

-41.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$3.36 ¥530

-55.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$2.16 ¥342

-40.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$2.61 ¥413

-57.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.04 ¥164

-30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.91 ¥143

-41.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.94 ¥623

9.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$5.61 ¥887

219.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.70 ¥268

-7.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.83 ¥290

55.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$1.50 ¥236

-42.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$52.5 ¥8,291

1.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$3.84 ¥606

-68.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.00 ¥317

-71.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$18.05 ¥2,852

-86.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.06 ¥167

35.85%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-5.77%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$17.6K ¥2.8M

52.56%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$210 ¥33.2K

-70.38%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$24.28 ¥3,835

-50.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$33.30 ¥5,261

-40.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$52.9 ¥8,359

-29.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$10.95 ¥1,729

-40.64%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$126 ¥20.0K

526.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

19.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$48.56 ¥7,672

10.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$25.99 ¥4,106

-5.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$65.3 ¥10.3K

39.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$47.20 ¥7,457

50.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$541 ¥85.4K

-15.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$328 ¥51.9K

-9.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,119 ¥176.8K

-18.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$723 ¥114.2K

-23.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$4,158 ¥656.8K

-53.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,735 ¥274.1K

-16.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 17, 2026

Last update for Kumamoto: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Kumamoto

$328 25.6% 10.2% $30

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Kumamoto

$312 24.3% 32.4% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Kumamoto

$84 6.6% 22.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Kumamoto

$268 20.9% 184% $174

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Kumamoto

$144 11.2% 82.9% $65

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kumamoto

$72 5.6% 19% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kumamoto

$75 5.8% 49.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $541 in Kumamoto. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $32.00 in Kumamoto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $312 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

07:38 7:38 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

738,865

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Kumamoto

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 Kumamoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kumamoto costs about 39% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,924 in Kumamoto. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $126 in Kumamoto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Kumamoto, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Kumamoto at $1,283. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kumamoto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,283 in Kumamoto. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kumamoto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.