Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Morioka

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,189 in Morioka, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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 Morioka
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Morioka Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Morioka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,189 in Morioka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Morioka $1,189

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,898 in Morioka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Morioka $1,898

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,607 in Morioka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Morioka $2,607

Chiang Mai is about 21% cheaper than Morioka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Morioka are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Morioka 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.22 ¥982

-63.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$32.27 ¥5,096

-41.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.15 ¥814

7.77%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.06 ¥483

-45.42%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.14 ¥180

-43.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.80 ¥127

-61.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.63 ¥415

-10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.23 ¥511

13.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.47 ¥232

32.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.54 ¥243

-6.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$4.08 ¥644

-67.40%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.13 ¥336

7.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.94 ¥1,569

65.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$7.45 ¥1,176

-62.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$16.63 ¥2,627

-44.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.03 ¥636

-41.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.08 ¥328

-53.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.03 ¥479

-47.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.77 ¥753

-68.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$2.78 ¥438

-53.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$2.73 ¥431

-59.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.33 ¥210

-46.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.91 ¥144

-46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.57 ¥564

15.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.82 ¥1,077

156.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.67 ¥264

-3.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.39 ¥378

16.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.47 ¥233

-40.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$57.6 ¥9,088

-6.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$3.24 ¥511

-64.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$3.11 ¥491

-82.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$19.05 ¥3,009

-87.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.06 ¥168

36.79%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$19.0K ¥3.0M

10.65%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$15.5K ¥2.4M

74.10%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$137 ¥21.6K

-54.58%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$23.86 ¥3,769

-48.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$31.17 ¥4,923

-35.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$50.5 ¥7,977

-26.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.62 ¥2,152

-52.35%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$759 ¥119.8K

-2.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$13.5K ¥2.1M

9.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$43.09 ¥6,805

23.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$31.59 ¥4,989

-22.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$69.6 ¥11.0K

31.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$102 ¥16.1K

-29.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$626 ¥98.9K

-22.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$300 ¥47.3K

3.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$916 ¥144.7K

9.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$706 ¥111.6K

-10.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,709 ¥743.7K

-49.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,118 ¥334.5K

-24.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Morioka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Morioka

$300 25.2% 3% $9.3

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Morioka

$297 25% 26.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Morioka

$111 9.3% 1.9% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Morioka

$192 16.1% 103% $97

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Morioka

$129 10.9% 66.7% $52

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Morioka

$82 6.9% 34% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Morioka

$78 6.5% 54.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $626 in Morioka. 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 $32 in Morioka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $297 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Morioka

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

23:31 11:31 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

289,731

💱 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 = 5.67 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Morioka 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Morioka

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 Morioka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Morioka costs about 27% 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 $1,783 in Morioka. 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 $626 in Morioka.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $759 in Morioka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Morioka, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,189 in Morioka. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 21% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.