Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shiso

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,048 in Shiso, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Shiso despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Shiso
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Shiso Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Shiso

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,048 in Shiso, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Shiso $1,048

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,913 in Shiso, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Shiso $1,913

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,777 in Shiso, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Shiso $2,777

Chiang Mai is about 12% cheaper than Shiso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Shiso are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Shiso 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$7.87 ¥1,244

-70.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$68.0 ¥10.7K

-71.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$6.29 ¥993

-10.81%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.69 ¥584

-55.01%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.83 ¥132

-15.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.72 ¥114

-56.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.58 ¥407

-6.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.15 ¥497

17.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.52 ¥240

28.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$3.00 ¥474

-53.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$4.87 ¥769

-73.10%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.19 ¥346

-0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$10.19 ¥1,609

63.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$6.48 ¥1,023

-57.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$27.01 ¥4,267

-66.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$5.33 ¥842

-55.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.59 ¥409

-60.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$4.06 ¥641

-59.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$5.97 ¥943

-74.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$4.29 ¥678

-69.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$2.60 ¥411

-57.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.38 ¥218

-47.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.83 ¥130

-36.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.11 ¥650

4.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$7.66 ¥1,211

134.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.92 ¥303

-17.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.22 ¥351

27.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$1.36 ¥216

-36.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$33.90 ¥5,356

57.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$3.57 ¥564

-66.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.88 ¥455

-80.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$20.87 ¥3,297

-88.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.28 ¥202

12.50%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$22.9K ¥3.6M

-9.46%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$17.0K ¥2.7M

57.83%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$144 ¥22.8K

-56.83%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$23.93 ¥3,781

-49.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$13.58 ¥2,146

46.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$36.74 ¥5,805

0.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$13.71 ¥2,167

-72.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$4.59 ¥726

41.61%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$283 ¥44.8K

179.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$13.6K ¥2.1M

8.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$10.06 ¥1,589

434.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$29.87 ¥4,720

-17.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$33.76 ¥5,334

169.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$99.7 ¥15.7K

-28.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$470 ¥74.3K

-3.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$165 ¥26.0K

80.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$862 ¥136.1K

5.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$659 ¥104.2K

-16.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$4,229 ¥668.1K

-54.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,769 ¥279.5K

-18.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.78

212.92%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Shiso: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Shiso

$165 15.7% 44.7% $133

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Shiso

$368 35.2% 56.5% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Shiso

$78 7.4% 27.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Shiso

$182 17.4% 92.7% $88

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Shiso

$152 14.5% 92.8% $73

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Shiso

$57 5.5% 5.7% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Shiso

$46 4.4% 8.3% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $470 in Shiso. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $68.0 in Shiso. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $368 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Shiso

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

12:53 12:53 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

36,610

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Shiso 3,930 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shiso

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 Shiso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shiso costs about 13% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,572 in Shiso. 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 $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $283 in Shiso. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Shiso, 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 $925, than in Shiso at $1,048. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shiso it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,048 in Shiso. 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, Shiso makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.