Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Obihiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,220 in Obihiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Obihiro
Learn more

Obihiro Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Obihiro

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,220

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,220 in Obihiro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Obihiro $1,220

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,910 in Obihiro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Obihiro $1,910

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,600 in Obihiro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Obihiro $2,600

Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper than Obihiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Obihiro are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Obihiro 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$7.76 ¥1,222

-72.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$31.28 ¥4,927

-40.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$5.12 ¥807

9.37%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.03 ¥477

-45.21%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$1.10 ¥174

-40.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$1.63 ¥257

-81.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$2.60 ¥410

-10.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.26 ¥513

12.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$1.54 ¥242

31.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$1.61 ¥254

-12.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$4.29 ¥675

-67.60%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$2.11 ¥332

12.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$10.26 ¥1,616

61.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$6.40 ¥1,009

-58.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$16.93 ¥2,666

-46.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$3.77 ¥594

-36.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$2.30 ¥362

-54.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$2.95 ¥464

-43.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$4.24 ¥668

-63.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$2.37 ¥374

-47.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$2.60 ¥410

-58.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$1.28 ¥202

-40.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.85 ¥134

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.86 ¥608

6.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$6.55 ¥1,032

173.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.80 ¥283

-10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$2.19 ¥345

28.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.43 ¥225

-34.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$56.2 ¥8,844

-5.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$3.19 ¥503

-63.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$2.83 ¥445

-93.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$18.39 ¥2,897

-90.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.08 ¥169

36.11%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-3.21%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

75.41%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$134 ¥21.1K

-53.32%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$24.76 ¥3,899

-53.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$31.04 ¥4,889

-34.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$52.1 ¥8,199

-27.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$12.69 ¥1,998

-48.70%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$706 ¥111.1K

3.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$12.8K ¥2.0M

29.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$49.08 ¥7,730

9.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$31.92 ¥5,027

-22.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$61.0 ¥9,600

48.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$91.1 ¥14.3K

-20.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$557 ¥87.7K

-13.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$333 ¥52.5K

-7.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$1,035 ¥162.9K

2.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$711 ¥111.9K

-7.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$4,283 ¥674.5K

-43.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$2,274 ¥358.1K

-29.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Obihiro: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Obihiro

$333 27.4% 7.6% $24

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Obihiro

$290 23.8% 22.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Obihiro

$105 8.6% 3.2% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Obihiro

$190 15.6% 101% $95

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Obihiro

$144 11.8% 88.5% $68

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Obihiro

$79 6.5% 35% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Obihiro

$77 6.4% 52.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $557 in Obihiro. 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 $31 in Obihiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $290 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Obihiro

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

22:17 10:17 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

166,536

💱 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 Obihiro 4,920 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Obihiro

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 Obihiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Obihiro costs about 30% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,829 in Obihiro. 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 $557 in Obihiro.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $706 in Obihiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Obihiro, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,220 in Obihiro. 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 $1,220 in Obihiro. 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 23% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.