Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nagoya

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,375 in Nagoya, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Nagoya
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Nagoya Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nagoya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,375 in Nagoya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nagoya $1,375

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,052 in Nagoya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nagoya $2,052

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,730 in Nagoya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nagoya $2,730

Chiang Mai is about 32% cheaper than Nagoya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$8.58 ¥1,355

-73.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$32.23 ¥5,091

-41.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.18 ¥817

7.14%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.55 ¥403

-34.51%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.26 ¥199

-49.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.91 ¥144

-65.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.11 ¥490

-24.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.08 ¥486

18.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.51 ¥239

29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.49 ¥235

-3.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$4.22 ¥667

-68.48%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.23 ¥353

2.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$16.05 ¥2,535

2.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.84 ¥1,081

-59.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.07 ¥2,696

-45.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$8.56 ¥1,352

-72.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$3.03 ¥479

-67.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.98 ¥787

-67.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$7.66 ¥1,210

-80.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$3.97 ¥627

-67.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$4.72 ¥745

-76.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.18 ¥186

-39.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.94 ¥148

-47.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.05 ¥639

2.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.72 ¥1,535

80.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.50 ¥395

-35.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.19 ¥345

26.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.35 ¥213

-35.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$89.2 ¥14.1K

-39.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$3.15 ¥497

-63.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$2.87 ¥453

-81.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$15.97 ¥2,522

-84.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.11 ¥175

30.63%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

-2.32%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

78.56%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$114 ¥18.1K

-45.62%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$23.77 ¥3,754

-48.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$31.40 ¥4,959

-35.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$43.67 ¥6,897

-14.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.90 ¥2,195

-72.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.59 ¥1,989

-48.45%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$687 ¥108.5K

7.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

0.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$51.2 ¥8,088

4.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$35.35 ¥5,582

-30.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$61.8 ¥9,765

47.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$99.9 ¥15.8K

-27.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$558 ¥88.1K

-13.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$385 ¥60.8K

-19.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$937 ¥148.0K

7.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$555 ¥87.6K

14.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$3,555 ¥561.4K

-33.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,971 ¥311.3K

-19.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,881 ¥297.1K

-68.65%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nagoya: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nagoya

$385 28% 24.6% $76

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nagoya

$382 27.8% 63.1% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nagoya

$112 8.1% 2.8% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nagoya

$169 12.3% 79.4% $75

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nagoya

$145 10.6% 87.1% $68

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nagoya

$112 8.2% 82.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nagoya

$69 5% 37% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $558 in Nagoya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Nagoya 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 Nagoya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $382 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Nagoya

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

22:52 10:52 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,236,000

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Nagoya 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nagoya

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 Nagoya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nagoya costs about 47% 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 $2,062 in Nagoya. 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 $558 in Nagoya.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $687 in Nagoya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 63% more in Nagoya, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,375 in Nagoya. 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 $1,375 in Nagoya. 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.

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