Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Maebashi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,696 in Maebashi, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Maebashi
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Maebashi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Maebashi

🇯🇵 Japan

$2,696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,696 in Maebashi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Maebashi $2,696

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,569 in Maebashi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Maebashi $2,569

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,441 in Maebashi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Maebashi $2,441

Chiang Mai is about 65% cheaper than Maebashi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Maebashi is 99% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$8.79 ¥1,384

-75.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$31.55 ¥4,969

-40.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$5.00 ¥788

12.00%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.50 ¥394

-33.60%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$1.24 ¥196

-47.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.94 ¥148

-68.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$2.73 ¥430

-15.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.23 ¥508

13.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$1.24 ¥195

62.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$1.48 ¥234

-4.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$1.30 ¥205

6.92%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.68 ¥265

41.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$15.78 ¥2,485

4.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$4.65 ¥733

-42.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$17.22 ¥2,712

-47.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$4.96 ¥781

-51.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$3.09 ¥487

-66.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$5.00 ¥788

-66.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$8.04 ¥1,266

-80.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$2.78 ¥438

-55.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$4.24 ¥668

-74.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$1.17 ¥185

-35.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.48 ¥76.2

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.94 ¥621

4.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$9.38 ¥1,477

91.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.64 ¥416

-38.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$2.11 ¥332

33.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$2.56 ¥403

-63.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$17.79 ¥2,801

197.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$3.11 ¥490

-62.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$2.68 ¥423

-93.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$26.85 ¥4,229

-93.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.10 ¥173

33.64%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-2.05%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

73.72%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$118 ¥18.6K

-47.14%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$23.75 ¥3,740

-51.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$30.85 ¥4,858

-34.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$48.29 ¥7,606

-21.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$31.18 ¥4,911

-88.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$12.71 ¥2,002

-48.78%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$710 ¥111.8K

2.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$22.4K ¥3.5M

-25.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$69.6 ¥11.0K

-23.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$35.69 ¥5,621

-30.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$60.1 ¥9,462

50.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$98.5 ¥15.5K

-26.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$384 ¥60.5K

25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$1,814 ¥285.6K

-82.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$566 ¥89.1K

87.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$481 ¥75.8K

36.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,704 ¥268.4K

-65.10%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Maebashi: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Maebashi

$1.8K 67.3% 485% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Maebashi

$328 12.2% 38.8% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Maebashi

$119 4.4% 9.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Maebashi

$173 6.4% 83.1% $78

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Maebashi

$144 5.4% 88.3% $68

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Maebashi

$45 1.7% 24% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Maebashi

$74 2.7% 44.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $384 in Maebashi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Maebashi are about 2.9 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $32 in Maebashi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $328 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Maebashi

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

00:44 12:44 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

324,644

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.65 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 157 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.65 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Maebashi 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Maebashi

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 Maebashi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maebashi costs about 188% 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 $4,044 in Maebashi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maebashi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $384 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $710 in Maebashi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Maebashi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $2,696 in Maebashi. 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 $2,696 in Maebashi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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