Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shiga

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,207 in Shiga, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Shiga
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Shiga Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Shiga

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,207 in Shiga, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Shiga $1,207

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,897 in Shiga, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Shiga $1,897

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,588 in Shiga, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Shiga $2,588

Chiang Mai is about 22% cheaper than Shiga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Shiga are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Shiga 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.19 ¥977

-63.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$31.73 ¥5,011

-40.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.96 ¥783

11.90%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.95 ¥466

-43.39%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.31 ¥206

-51.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.70 ¥110

-55.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.76 ¥436

-14.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.53 ¥558

3.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.28 ¥203

52.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.24 ¥196

16.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$3.89 ¥614

-65.81%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.04 ¥322

11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.45 ¥1,492

74.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$9.19 ¥1,452

-69.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$18.48 ¥2,918

-49.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.44 ¥543

-31.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.03 ¥320

-52.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.04 ¥323

-21.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.97 ¥626

-62.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.52 ¥240

-15.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.14 ¥180

-3.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.36 ¥215

-47.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.87 ¥137

-43.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.97 ¥627

4.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.77 ¥1,543

79.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.90 ¥301

-15.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.13 ¥494

-11.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.16 ¥183

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$56.2 ¥8,877

-3.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$3.86 ¥610

-69.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$3.20 ¥505

-83.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$21.98 ¥3,472

-88.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.09 ¥173

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$22.7K ¥3.6M

-7.15%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

76.57%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$137 ¥21.7K

-54.65%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$24.58 ¥3,882

-50.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$18.76 ¥2,962

7.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$52.0 ¥8,215

-28.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.55 ¥1,982

-48.29%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$697 ¥110.1K

5.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$13.4K ¥2.1M

10.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$48.59 ¥7,674

9.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$30.84 ¥4,870

-20.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$73.3 ¥11.6K

24.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$90.1 ¥14.2K

-20.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$551 ¥87.0K

-12.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$337 ¥53.2K

-8.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$998 ¥157.6K

0.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$727 ¥114.8K

-12.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,617 ¥729.1K

-48.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,022 ¥319.3K

-21.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,210 ¥191.2K

-51.28%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shiga: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Shiga

$337 27.9% 9% $28

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Shiga

$294 24.4% 25.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Shiga

$109 9.1% 0.6% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Shiga

$180 15% 91% $86

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Shiga

$129 10.7% 65.9% $51

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Shiga

$81 6.7% 31.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Shiga

$77 6.4% 53.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $551 in Shiga. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Shiga are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $32 in Shiga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $294 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Shiga

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

22:51 10:51 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

23,836

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 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 = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Shiga 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shiga

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 Shiga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shiga costs about 29% 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 $1,811 in Shiga. 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 $551 in Shiga.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $697 in Shiga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Shiga, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,207 in Shiga. 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 $1,207 in Shiga. 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.

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