Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tsushima Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,232 in Tsushima Island, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Tsushima Island
Learn more

Tsushima Island Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Tsushima Island

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Tsushima Island

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,232 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Tsushima Island $1,232

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,930 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Tsushima Island $1,930

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,629 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Tsushima Island $2,629

Chiang Mai is about 24% cheaper than Tsushima Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Tsushima Island are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Tsushima Island 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$6.98 ¥1,106

-69.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$35.22 ¥5,579

-47.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$5.63 ¥893

-0.53%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.10 ¥491

-46.45%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$1.14 ¥181

-42.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.82 ¥129

-63.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.06 ¥327

12.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.10 ¥491

18.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.52 ¥241

32.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$1.67 ¥264

-15.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$4.69 ¥743

-70.36%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$2.26 ¥358

4.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$10.19 ¥1,615

62.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$6.17 ¥977

-56.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$15.46 ¥2,449

-41.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$5.42 ¥858

-55.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$2.62 ¥416

-60.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$3.95 ¥626

-57.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$4.49 ¥711

-65.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$3.35 ¥531

-62.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$2.55 ¥403

-57.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$1.32 ¥209

-42.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.87 ¥139

-41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$4.08 ¥646

0.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$6.48 ¥1,027

176.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.94 ¥307

-16.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.36 ¥374

19.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$1.60 ¥254

-41.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$55.6 ¥8,813

-4.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$3.54 ¥561

-66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$2.99 ¥474

-94.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$20.96 ¥3,320

-91.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.19 ¥188

23.53%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$23.6K ¥3.7M

-11.04%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$17.2K ¥2.7M

54.02%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$138 ¥21.9K

-54.71%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$27.47 ¥4,351

-57.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$33.39 ¥5,289

-39.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$58.3 ¥9,231

-35.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$13.99 ¥2,216

-73.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$13.37 ¥2,118

-51.31%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$284 ¥45.1K

155.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$13.3K ¥2.1M

24.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$43.63 ¥6,912

22.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$29.76 ¥4,715

-16.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$59.3 ¥9,388

52.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$90.5 ¥14.3K

-20.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$473 ¥74.9K

1.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$326 ¥51.6K

-4.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$873 ¥138.3K

21.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$666 ¥105.5K

-1.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$2,785 ¥441.2K

-13.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,744 ¥276.3K

-7.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.81

207.73%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tsushima Island: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Tsushima Island

$326 26.5% 5.1% $16

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Tsushima Island

$307 24.9% 29.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Tsushima Island

$100 8.2% 7.3% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Tsushima Island

$199 16.2% 111% $105

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Tsushima Island

$134 10.9% 75.4% $58

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Tsushima Island

$81 6.5% 37.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Tsushima Island

$85 6.9% 67% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $473 in Tsushima Island. 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 in Chiang Mai versus $35 in Tsushima Island. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $307 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Tsushima Island

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

09:22 9:22 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

28,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Tsushima Island 3,450 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tsushima Island

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 Tsushima Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tsushima Island costs about 32% 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 $1,848 in Tsushima Island. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Chiang Mai and $473 in Tsushima Island. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $284 in Tsushima Island. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Tsushima Island, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,232 in Tsushima Island. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,232 in Tsushima Island. 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.