Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sagamihara

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,228 in Sagamihara, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Sagamihara
Learn more

Sagamihara Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sagamihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,228 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sagamihara $1,228

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,005 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sagamihara $2,005

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,783 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sagamihara $2,783

Chiang Mai is about 24% cheaper than Sagamihara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$8.50 ¥1,342

-73.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$31.84 ¥5,029

-40.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.16 ¥815

7.56%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.59 ¥410

-35.52%

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

$0.90 ¥143

-65.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.13 ¥495

-24.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.21 ¥507

14.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.94 ¥148

107.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.64 ¥101

125.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$4.12 ¥651

-67.72%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.87 ¥295

21.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$15.93 ¥2,516

3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.79 ¥1,072

-59.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.23 ¥2,721

-45.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.27 ¥359

3.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.56 ¥246

-37.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$5.09 ¥803

-68.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$7.87 ¥1,242

-80.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$3.91 ¥618

-67.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$4.76 ¥751

-76.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.13 ¥178

-37.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.46 ¥72.5

6.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.98 ¥628

4.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.74 ¥1,539

79.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.62 ¥413

-38.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.15 ¥340

29.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.41 ¥222

-38.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$61.3 ¥9,687

-11.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$3.26 ¥515

-64.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$2.83 ¥448

-81.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$16.00 ¥2,526

-84.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.12 ¥176

29.46%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-4.47%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

78.97%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$116 ¥18.3K

-46.49%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$23.59 ¥3,726

-48.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$30.85 ¥4,872

-34.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$47.70 ¥7,534

-21.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.65 ¥1,998

-48.70%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$681 ¥107.6K

8.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-0.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$49.89 ¥7,879

6.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$36.43 ¥5,753

-32.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$61.4 ¥9,703

48.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$97.4 ¥15.4K

-26.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$614 ¥97.0K

-21.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$322 ¥50.9K

-4.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,137 ¥179.5K

-11.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$824 ¥130.1K

-23.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,239 ¥669.5K

-44.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,512 ¥396.7K

-36.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Sagamihara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sagamihara

$322 26.2% 4.3% $13

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sagamihara

$322 26.2% 37.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sagamihara

$110 9% 1.5% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sagamihara

$171 13.9% 80.6% $76

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sagamihara

$145 11.8% 87.3% $68

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sagamihara

$84 6.9% 37.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sagamihara

$73 6% 45.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $614 in Sagamihara. 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 Sagamihara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $322 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Sagamihara

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

725,493

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 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 Sagamihara 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sagamihara

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 Sagamihara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sagamihara costs about 31% 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 $1,841 in Sagamihara. 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 $614 in Sagamihara.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $681 in Sagamihara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Sagamihara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,228 in Sagamihara. 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 $1,228 in Sagamihara. 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 24% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.