Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nagasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,287 in Nagasaki, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Nagasaki
Learn more

Nagasaki Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,287 in Nagasaki, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nagasaki $1,287

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,907 in Nagasaki, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nagasaki $1,907

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,527 in Nagasaki, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nagasaki $2,527

Chiang Mai is about 27% cheaper than Nagasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.03 ¥793

-55.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$19.07 ¥3,007

-0.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.10 ¥803

8.82%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.63 ¥572

-53.99%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.04 ¥164

-38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.76 ¥120

-59.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.16 ¥341

9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.26 ¥356

61.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.55 ¥245

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.84 ¥291

-21.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$6.21 ¥980

-78.58%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.03 ¥321

12.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.36 ¥1,477

75.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.21 ¥506

-13.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$19.33 ¥3,048

-51.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.56 ¥561

-33.99%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.83 ¥288

-46.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.88 ¥454

-44.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.26 ¥514

-53.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.24 ¥353

-42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.65 ¥418

-58.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.04 ¥163

-31.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.97 ¥153

-49.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.87 ¥609

6.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.50 ¥1,025

169.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.71 ¥269

-5.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.85 ¥292

50.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$1.27 ¥200

-31.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$56.4 ¥8,898

-4.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$4.12 ¥649

-71.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.40 ¥378

-77.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$17.66 ¥2,785

-86.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.08 ¥170

34.26%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$22.8K ¥3.6M

-7.70%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$15.5K ¥2.4M

74.23%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$215 ¥33.8K

-71.04%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$24.77 ¥3,906

-50.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$33.03 ¥5,208

-39.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$52.3 ¥8,251

-28.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.66 ¥1,997

-48.74%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$706 ¥111.3K

4.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

18.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$48.40 ¥7,632

10.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$25.87 ¥4,079

-4.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$67.7 ¥10.7K

35.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$46.74 ¥7,370

53.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$550 ¥86.7K

-12.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$374 ¥59.0K

-17.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,085 ¥171.1K

-7.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$743 ¥117.1K

-14.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$4,205 ¥663.0K

-43.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,287 ¥360.6K

-30.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Nagasaki: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nagasaki

$374 29.1% 21.1% $65

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nagasaki

$279 21.7% 18.9% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nagasaki

$85 6.6% 21.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nagasaki

$272 21.2% 188% $178

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nagasaki

$122 9.5% 56.8% $44

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nagasaki

$78 6% 26.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nagasaki

$78 6% 54.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $550 in Nagasaki. 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 $19 in Nagasaki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $279 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Nagasaki

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

11:51 11:51 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

409,118

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Nagasaki 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nagasaki

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 Nagasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nagasaki costs about 38% 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 $1,931 in Nagasaki. 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 $550 in Nagasaki.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Nagasaki, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,287 in Nagasaki. 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 $1,287 in Nagasaki. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.