Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kyoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,290 in Kyoto, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,290

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,290 in Kyoto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kyoto $1,290

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,932 in Kyoto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kyoto $1,932

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,574 in Kyoto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kyoto $2,574

Chiang Mai is about 27% cheaper than Kyoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Kyoto are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kyoto 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$9.77 ¥1,542

-77.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$32.34 ¥5,106

-41.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.11 ¥807

8.61%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.22 ¥508

-48.14%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.89 ¥141

-28.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.71 ¥112

-56.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.22 ¥509

-26.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.85 ¥924

-37.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.55 ¥245

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.61 ¥254

-10.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$5.84 ¥923

-77.23%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.11 ¥333

8.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$8.84 ¥1,395

86.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.92 ¥1,251

-64.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.70 ¥1,690

-12.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$5.19 ¥819

-54.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.37 ¥374

-59.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$5.15 ¥813

-68.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.69 ¥582

-59.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.87 ¥295

-31.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.66 ¥262

-33.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.14 ¥180

-37.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.94 ¥148

-47.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.04 ¥639

2.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.73 ¥1,221

126.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.61 ¥255

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.37 ¥531

-17.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.42 ¥225

-38.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$62.1 ¥9,804

-12.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$3.30 ¥520

-64.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$3.88 ¥612

-86.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.10 ¥174

31.82%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$22.7K ¥3.6M

-7.30%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$15.5K ¥2.4M

73.90%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$101 ¥16.0K

-38.54%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$23.51 ¥3,712

-48.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$30.41 ¥4,801

-33.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$51.6 ¥8,145

-27.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$18.87 ¥2,980

-80.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.72 ¥2,166

-52.70%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$718 ¥113.4K

2.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$6,490 ¥1.0M

127.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$56.7 ¥8,956

-5.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$45.07 ¥7,116

-45.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$70.3 ¥11.1K

30.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$102 ¥16.1K

-29.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$638 ¥100.7K

-24.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$379 ¥59.9K

-18.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,176 ¥185.6K

-14.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$577 ¥91.1K

9.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$4,226 ¥667.2K

-44.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,921 ¥461.2K

-45.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,873 ¥295.6K

-68.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.23

149.78%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kyoto: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kyoto

$379 29.4% 22.8% $70

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kyoto

$296 22.9% 26.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kyoto

$123 9.6% 13.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kyoto

$155 12% 64.2% $61

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kyoto

$166 12.9% 114% $89

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kyoto

$90 7% 47.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kyoto

$79 6.1% 57.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $638 in Kyoto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kyoto are about 3.2 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 Kyoto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $296 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

03:06 3:06 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,475,183

💱 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 Kyoto 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kyoto

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 Kyoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kyoto costs about 38% 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 $1,934 in Kyoto. 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 $638 in Kyoto.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $718 in Kyoto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Kyoto, 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 $1,290 in Kyoto. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,290 in Kyoto. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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