Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Naha

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,344 in Naha, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Naha
Learn more

Naha Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Naha

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,344

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,344 in Naha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Naha $1,344

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,090 in Naha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Naha $2,090

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,836 in Naha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Naha $2,836

Chiang Mai is about 30% cheaper than Naha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$4.97 ¥783

-57.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$30.22 ¥4,760

-38.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$4.92 ¥775

13.82%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.00 ¥472

-44.67%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$1.29 ¥203

-49.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.86 ¥135

-65.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$2.57 ¥405

-9.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$4.10 ¥645

-10.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$1.61 ¥254

25.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$2.15 ¥339

-34.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$3.91 ¥616

-64.45%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.84 ¥290

28.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$17.70 ¥2,787

-6.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$4.95 ¥779

-46.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$22.19 ¥3,495

-59.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$3.62 ¥570

-33.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$2.61 ¥411

-60.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$2.20 ¥346

-24.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$5.03 ¥791

-68.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$2.41 ¥379

-48.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$2.46 ¥388

-55.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$1.26 ¥198

-39.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.77 ¥122

-33.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.96 ¥624

4.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$6.41 ¥1,009

179.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.97 ¥311

-17.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$3.23 ¥509

-12.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$3.97 ¥625

-70.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$3.49 ¥550

-95.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$11.42 ¥1,798

-84.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.02 ¥161

44.12%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-2.46%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

76.53%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$95.4 ¥15.0K

-34.42%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$25.01 ¥3,939

-53.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$51.9 ¥8,172

-60.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$11.83 ¥1,863

-44.97%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$327 ¥51.5K

122.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$5,517 ¥868.8K

200.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$50.4 ¥7,936

6.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$23.44 ¥3,692

5.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$81.6 ¥12.9K

10.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$96.5 ¥15.2K

-25.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$725 ¥114.2K

-33.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$564 ¥88.9K

-45.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$1,125 ¥177.3K

-5.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$1,136 ¥179.0K

-42.05%

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

$1,310 ¥206.3K

-54.58%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Naha: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Naha

$564 42% 82.1% $255

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Naha

$328 24.4% 38.8% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Naha

$113 8.4% 4.7% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Naha

$172 12.8% 82.4% $78

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Naha

$120 8.9% 56.8% $44

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Naha

$21 * 1.6% 63.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Naha

$24 * 1.8% 53.5% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $725 in Naha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Naha are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $30 in Naha. 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

🇯🇵 Naha

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

19:28 7:28 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

317,625

💱 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 Naha 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Naha

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 Naha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Naha costs about 44% 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 $2,015 in Naha. 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 $481 there versus $725 in Naha.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $30 in Naha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,344 in Naha. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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, Naha makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.