Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shizuoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,138 in Shizuoka, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shizuoka
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Shizuoka Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Shizuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,138 in Shizuoka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Shizuoka $1,138

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,789 in Shizuoka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Shizuoka $1,789

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,441 in Shizuoka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Shizuoka $2,441

Chiang Mai is about 18% cheaper than Shizuoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Shizuoka are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Shizuoka 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$6.42 ¥1,015

-64.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$31.81 ¥5,026

-39.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$5.08 ¥802

10.04%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.96 ¥468

-41.89%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.97 ¥152

-34.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.76 ¥119

-56.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.75 ¥435

-14.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.83 ¥605

1.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.51 ¥239

35.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.25 ¥198

12.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$4.49 ¥709

-71.49%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.83 ¥289

22.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$7.11 ¥1,123

138.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$5.40 ¥853

-49.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$14.11 ¥2,229

-33.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.29 ¥519

-27.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.93 ¥305

-47.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$3.42 ¥541

-52.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$3.13 ¥495

-51.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.51 ¥239

-15.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.13 ¥179

-1.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.11 ¥176

-35.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.86 ¥135

-39.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.86 ¥610

12.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$8.70 ¥1,375

103.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.48 ¥233

10.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.24 ¥512

-12.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$1.79 ¥283

-52.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$53.9 ¥8,514

0.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$3.46 ¥546

-66.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.86 ¥293

-69.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$19.01 ¥3,003

-87.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.04 ¥165

39.42%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-5.59%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

73.55%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$138 ¥21.8K

-54.85%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$15.18 ¥2,398

-19.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$30.16 ¥4,764

-33.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$52.6 ¥8,316

-27.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$10.82 ¥1,709

-65.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$12.21 ¥1,928

-45.05%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$320 ¥50.5K

149.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$13.3K ¥2.1M

11.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$18.49 ¥2,921

187.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$21.38 ¥3,378

17.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$61.6 ¥9,725

48.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$90.5 ¥14.3K

-18.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$331 ¥52.3K

40.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$333 ¥52.6K

-8.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,084 ¥171.2K

-15.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$731 ¥115.5K

-24.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$4,146 ¥655.0K

-53.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,741 ¥275.0K

-17.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$2,232 ¥352.7K

-73.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

457.00%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shizuoka: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Shizuoka

$333 29.3% 9.2% $28

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Shizuoka

$254 22.3% 6.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Shizuoka

$86 7.6% 21.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Shizuoka

$183 16.1% 93.9% $89

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Shizuoka

$131 11.5% 65.2% $51

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Shizuoka

$74 6.5% 20.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Shizuoka

$77 6.8% 50.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $331 in Shizuoka. 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 275% higher in Shizuoka, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $32.00 in Shizuoka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $254 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Shizuoka

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

16:22 4:22 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

701,803

💱 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 Shizuoka 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shizuoka

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 Shizuoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shizuoka costs about 21% 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 $1,706 in Shizuoka. 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 $320 in Shizuoka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Shizuoka, 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 Shizuoka at $1,138. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shizuoka it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,138 in Shizuoka. 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, Shizuoka makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.