Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kurume

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $986 in Kurume, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. The total is higher in Kurume despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
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Kurume Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $986 in Kurume, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kurume $986

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,555 in Kurume, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kurume $1,555

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,124 in Kurume, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kurume $2,124

Chiang Mai is about 5% cheaper than Kurume, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kurume are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kurume 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$4.30 ¥679

-47.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$42.56 ¥6,720

-55.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$3.85 ¥607

44.16%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.88 ¥298

-11.17%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.69 ¥108

-7.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.53 ¥84.3

-41.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.13 ¥494

-24.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.63 ¥257

124.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.30 ¥206

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.29 ¥203

11.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$5.01 ¥791

-73.45%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.87 ¥296

21.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$17.95 ¥2,834

-8.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.52 ¥872

-49.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$19.22 ¥3,034

-51.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.54 ¥559

-33.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.86 ¥294

-47.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.92 ¥461

-45.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.25 ¥514

-53.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.20 ¥348

-41.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.62 ¥413

-58.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.04 ¥165

-31.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.96 ¥152

-48.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.57 ¥564

15.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.52 ¥1,030

168.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.68 ¥265

-4.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.10 ¥174

152.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.47 ¥233

-40.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$58.0 ¥9,163

-6.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$4.15 ¥655

-72.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.31 ¥365

-77.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$17.66 ¥2,788

-86.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.65 ¥103

123.08%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$22.6K ¥3.6M

-6.70%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

76.69%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$215 ¥34.0K

-71.13%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$24.93 ¥3,937

-51.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$22.65 ¥3,576

-11.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$55.8 ¥8,806

-33.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.91 ¥1,091

-6.08%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$695 ¥109.7K

5.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$12.5K ¥2.0M

18.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$48.99 ¥7,735

8.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$12.62 ¥1,992

95.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$25.10 ¥3,962

264.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$31.59 ¥4,987

127.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$549 ¥86.7K

-12.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$127 ¥20.1K

142.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$485 ¥76.6K

107.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$318 ¥50.2K

99.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,977 ¥627.8K

-40.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,146 ¥338.9K

-25.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,510 ¥238.4K

-60.94%

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 Kurume: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kurume

$127 12.9% 58.8% $182

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kurume

$301 30.5% 28.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kurume

$53 5.4% 51% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kurume

$263 26.7% 178% $168

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kurume

$92 9.4% 19% $15

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kurume

$80 8.1% 29.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kurume

$70 7.1% 38.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $549 in Kurume. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kurume are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $43 in Kurume. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $301 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Kurume

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

03:06 3:06 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

303,316

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 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 Kurume 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kurume

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 Kurume: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kurume costs about 5% 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 $1,478 in Kurume. 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 $549 in Kurume.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $695 in Kurume. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Kurume, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $986 in Kurume. 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 $986 in Kurume. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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