Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Setagaya-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,183 in Setagaya-ku, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Setagaya-ku
Learn more

Setagaya-ku Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,183 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Setagaya-ku $1,183

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,834 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Setagaya-ku $1,834

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,484 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Setagaya-ku $2,484

Chiang Mai is about 21% cheaper than Setagaya-ku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Setagaya-ku are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Setagaya-ku 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$6.12 ¥968

-63.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$25.64 ¥4,050

-25.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$4.36 ¥690

28.21%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.97 ¥470

-42.09%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.04 ¥165

-38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.65 ¥102

-49.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.19 ¥346

7.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.22 ¥508

21.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.23 ¥194

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.72 ¥272

-18.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.64 ¥575

-64.84%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.17 ¥186

92.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$10.40 ¥1,643

62.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$6.11 ¥965

-55.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$14.25 ¥2,252

-34.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$5.59 ¥883

-57.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.74 ¥433

-63.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.95 ¥466

-45.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$4.14 ¥654

-63.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$2.62 ¥415

-51.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.63 ¥416

-57.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.24 ¥196

-41.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.56 ¥87.7

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.79 ¥599

14.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$6.26 ¥989

183.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.81 ¥287

-9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.09 ¥330

36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$1.46 ¥231

-41.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$50.7 ¥8,012

6.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$3.23 ¥510

-63.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$2.66 ¥421

-78.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$20.85 ¥3,294

-88.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.10 ¥174

31.82%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$21.2K ¥3.4M

-3.54%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$18.6K ¥2.9M

42.86%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$131 ¥20.6K

-52.29%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$23.82 ¥3,764

-48.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$31.73 ¥5,013

-37.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$55.0 ¥8,691

-31.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$11.52 ¥1,820

-41.75%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$636 ¥100.5K

25.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

0.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$62.3 ¥9,846

-14.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$36.37 ¥5,747

-31.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$62.1 ¥9,814

47.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$102 ¥16.2K

-28.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$534 ¥84.4K

-13.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$325 ¥51.4K

-6.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,152 ¥182.0K

-20.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$674 ¥106.4K

-18.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$3,724 ¥588.4K

-48.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,635 ¥258.4K

-12.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

178.50%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Setagaya-ku

$325 27.5% 6.7% $20

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Setagaya-ku

$281 23.7% 18% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Setagaya-ku

$118 10% 8.1% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Setagaya-ku

$186 15.7% 96.9% $92

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Setagaya-ku

$122 10.3% 54.3% $43

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Setagaya-ku

$73 6.2% 19.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Setagaya-ku

$78 6.6% 52% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $534 in Setagaya-ku. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $26.00 in Setagaya-ku. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $281 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

943,664

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Setagaya-ku 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Setagaya-ku costs about 26% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,775 in Setagaya-ku. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $636 in Setagaya-ku. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Setagaya-ku, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Setagaya-ku at $1,183. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Setagaya-ku it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,183 in Setagaya-ku. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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