Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Yamaguchi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,202 in Yamaguchi, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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 Yamaguchi
Learn more

Yamaguchi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Yamaguchi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,202 in Yamaguchi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Yamaguchi $1,202

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,849 in Yamaguchi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Yamaguchi $1,849

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,495 in Yamaguchi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Yamaguchi $2,495

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

Both Chiang Mai and Yamaguchi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Yamaguchi 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.80 ¥600

-41.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$31.96 ¥5,047

-40.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.02 ¥793

10.56%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.71 ¥586

-54.99%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.05 ¥166

-39.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.75 ¥118

-58.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.88 ¥612

-39.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.21 ¥349

65.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.55 ¥245

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.83 ¥288

-21.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$6.61 ¥1,044

-79.88%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.21 ¥349

3.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$18.53 ¥2,926

-11.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.28 ¥833

-47.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$19.00 ¥3,001

-51.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.71 ¥586

-36.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.87 ¥295

-48.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.82 ¥445

-43.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.26 ¥515

-53.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.22 ¥351

-42.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.54 ¥401

-56.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.08 ¥171

-34.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.93 ¥147

-47.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.04 ¥638

2.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.20 ¥979

182.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.67 ¥263

-3.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.91 ¥302

45.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.48 ¥234

-41.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$50.8 ¥8,016

6.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$4.00 ¥631

-71.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.42 ¥382

-78.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$17.73 ¥2,799

-86.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.07 ¥169

35.51%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$22.5K ¥3.6M

-6.59%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

75.64%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$214 ¥33.8K

-70.96%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$24.94 ¥3,938

-51.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$33.47 ¥5,284

-39.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$52.7 ¥8,321

-29.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.67 ¥2,000

-48.78%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$695 ¥109.8K

5.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$12.1K ¥1.9M

21.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$48.71 ¥7,690

9.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$25.97 ¥4,101

-5.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$65.8 ¥10.4K

38.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$47.76 ¥7,541

50.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$409 ¥64.6K

17.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$256 ¥40.4K

20.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$806 ¥127.2K

24.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$572 ¥90.3K

10.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$4,869 ¥768.8K

-51.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,007 ¥316.8K

-20.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.97

182.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yamaguchi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Yamaguchi

$256 21.3% 17.2% $53

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Yamaguchi

$317 26.4% 35.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Yamaguchi

$85 7.1% 22% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Yamaguchi

$272 22.7% 189% $178

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Yamaguchi

$121 10.1% 55.9% $43

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Yamaguchi

$73 6.1% 18.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Yamaguchi

$78 6.5% 55.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $409 in Yamaguchi. 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 $32 in Yamaguchi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $317 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Yamaguchi

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

03:01 3:01 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

193,966

💱 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 = 5.69 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Yamaguchi 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Yamaguchi

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 Yamaguchi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yamaguchi costs about 28% 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 $1,803 in Yamaguchi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yamaguchi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $409 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $695 in Yamaguchi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Yamaguchi, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,202 in Yamaguchi. 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 $1,202 in Yamaguchi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.