Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Yokohama

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,340 in Yokohama, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Yokohama
Learn more

Yokohama Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Yokohama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,340 in Yokohama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Yokohama $1,340

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,054 in Yokohama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Yokohama $2,054

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,768 in Yokohama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Yokohama $2,768

Chiang Mai is about 30% cheaper than Yokohama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Yokohama are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Yokohama 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.45 ¥1,017

-65.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$40.72 ¥6,420

-53.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.19 ¥819

6.94%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.41 ¥538

-51.03%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.06 ¥166

-39.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.74 ¥116

-58.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.60 ¥409

-9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.09 ¥488

18.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.46 ¥230

33.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.75 ¥277

-17.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$3.59 ¥566

-62.95%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.03 ¥320

12.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.26 ¥1,617

60.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.14 ¥968

-54.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.66 ¥2,311

-36.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$5.54 ¥874

-57.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.76 ¥436

-64.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.96 ¥467

-45.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.10 ¥646

-63.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.52 ¥398

-49.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.58 ¥407

-57.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.30 ¥205

-45.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.77 ¥121

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.90 ¥616

6.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.30 ¥994

178.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.82 ¥288

-11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.09 ¥330

33.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$1.37 ¥217

-36.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$62.4 ¥9,843

-13.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$3.11 ¥491

-62.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.66 ¥420

-80.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$20.61 ¥3,250

-88.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.07 ¥168

35.51%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

-2.47%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$16.1K ¥2.5M

67.22%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$130 ¥20.6K

-52.30%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$24.74 ¥3,901

-50.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$32.65 ¥5,149

-38.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$48.93 ¥7,715

-23.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$11.78 ¥1,857

-68.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.09 ¥2,064

-50.42%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$805 ¥127.0K

-8.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

-1.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$61.7 ¥9,721

-13.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$37.72 ¥5,948

-34.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$62.6 ¥9,874

46.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$102 ¥16.1K

-29.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,097 ¥172.9K

-56.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$450 ¥70.9K

-31.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,796 ¥283.3K

-44.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$805 ¥126.9K

-21.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$5,778 ¥911.0K

-59.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$4,066 ¥641.1K

-60.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,669 ¥420.9K

-77.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.64

110.98%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yokohama: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Yokohama

$450 33.6% 45.6% $141

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Yokohama

$290 21.6% 23.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Yokohama

$119 8.9% 9.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Yokohama

$188 14% 98.7% $93

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Yokohama

$134 10% 73.3% $57

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Yokohama

$84 6.3% 37.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Yokohama

$75 5.6% 49.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,097 in Yokohama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Yokohama are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $41 in Yokohama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $290 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇵 Yokohama

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

13:39 1:39 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,777,491

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Yokohama 4,390 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Yokohama

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 Yokohama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yokohama costs about 43% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,010 in Yokohama. 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 $1,097 in Yokohama.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $805 in Yokohama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Yokohama, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,340 in Yokohama. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,340 in Yokohama. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Yokohama makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.