Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sendai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,164 in Sendai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
Learn more

Sendai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,164 in Sendai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sendai $1,164

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,851 in Sendai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sendai $1,851

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,538 in Sendai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sendai $2,538

Chiang Mai is about 20% cheaper than Sendai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Sendai are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sendai 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$6.42 ¥1,013

-65.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$35.25 ¥5,566

-46.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.57 ¥722

21.44%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.79 ¥598

-55.94%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.03 ¥162

-37.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.79 ¥125

-60.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.94 ¥307

21.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.26 ¥514

12.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.43 ¥225

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.46 ¥231

-1.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$6.88 ¥1,087

-80.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.12 ¥335

7.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$10.65 ¥1,682

54.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$11.63 ¥1,836

-76.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.78 ¥1,386

6.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$3.41 ¥538

-31.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$2.12 ¥335

-54.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$4.65 ¥734

-65.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.23 ¥510

-53.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$2.47 ¥390

-48.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$2.30 ¥363

-52.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.39 ¥219

-48.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.27 ¥201

-61.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.41 ¥696

-6.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$6.84 ¥1,080

156.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.64 ¥260

-1.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.76 ¥435

0.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$1.51 ¥238

-42.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$37.91 ¥5,986

42.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$5.32 ¥839

-78.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$18.16 ¥2,868

-86.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.11 ¥175

30.63%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$16.1K ¥2.5M

30.50%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$25.4K ¥4.0M

6.23%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$137 ¥21.6K

-54.48%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$29.82 ¥4,708

-59.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$35.46 ¥5,599

-43.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$45.05 ¥7,113

-17.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.76 ¥2,015

-70.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.18 ¥1,608

-36.25%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$230 ¥36.4K

219.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$3,740 ¥590.6K

294.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$56.3 ¥8,884

-5.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$33.48 ¥5,287

-26.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$34.73 ¥5,484

163.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$53.4 ¥8,435

34.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$573 ¥90.5K

-15.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$328 ¥51.7K

-5.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$707 ¥111.7K

42.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$736 ¥116.2K

-13.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,713 ¥428.3K

-12.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,438 ¥227.1K

10.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$979 ¥154.6K

-39.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.73

104.03%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sendai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sendai

$328 28.1% 6.1% $19

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sendai

$306 26.3% 30.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sendai

$80 6.9% 26.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sendai

$202 17.3% 114% $107

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sendai

$134 11.5% 72.7% $56

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sendai

$49 * 4.2% 19.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sendai

$65 5.6% 30.1% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $573 in Sendai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 66% higher in Sendai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $35 in Sendai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $306 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Sendai

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

19:30 7:30 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,082,159

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sendai 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sendai

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 Sendai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sendai costs about 24% 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 $1,747 in Sendai. 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 $573 in Sendai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $230 in Sendai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Sendai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,164 in Sendai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,164 in Sendai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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