Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukui and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,039 in Fukui, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Fukui
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Fukui Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fukui

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,039

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Fukui and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,039 per month in Fukui vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fukui $1,039
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,658 per month in Fukui vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fukui $1,658
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,277 per month in Fukui vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fukui $2,277
Chiang Mai $1,999

Fukui costs about 11% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fukui and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Fukui 23% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥705

$2.13 ฿71.2

108.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.80 ¥5,036

$18.62 ฿622

70.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.09 ¥489

$5.60 ฿187

-44.82%

Cappuccino

$2.40 ¥381

$1.66 ฿55.5

44.58%

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

$0.80 ¥127

$0.65 ฿21.59

23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ¥71.8

$0.30 ฿10.18

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ¥336

$2.32 ฿77.5

-8.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ¥349

$3.67 ฿122

-40.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 ¥133

$2.02 ฿67.3

-58.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 ¥216

$1.41 ฿47.00

-2.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 ¥494

$1.39 ฿46.46

124.46%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥259

$2.37 ฿79.0

-31.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.49 ¥1,821

$16.52 ฿551

-30.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥544

$2.67 ฿89.1

28.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 ¥2,484

$9.02 ฿301

73.84%

Apples (1kg)

$6.08 ¥962

$2.40 ฿80.1

153.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 ¥490

$1.04 ฿34.76

198.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.19 ¥980

$1.66 ฿55.4

272.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ¥512

$1.56 ฿52.0

107.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 ¥298

$1.24 ฿41.31

51.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 ¥303

$1.09 ฿36.27

75.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥204

$0.76 ฿25.43

69.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥164

$0.51 ฿17.16

101.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ¥556

$4.12 ฿138

-14.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 ¥1,005

$17.93 ฿598

-64.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥276

$1.62 ฿54.2

7.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥243

$2.82 ฿94.2

-45.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥229

$0.93 ฿31.19

54.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.1 ¥8,891

$52.9 ฿1,766

6.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ¥491

$1.18 ฿39.28

162.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 ¥299

$0.17 ฿5.72

1005.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.26 ¥5,109

$1.81 ฿60.5

1682.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ¥165

$1.47 ฿49.16

-29.25%

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

$8,950 ¥1.4M

$21.0K ฿701.4K

-57.40%

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

$12.3K ¥2.0M

$26.5K ฿885.1K

-53.43%

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

$89.6 ¥14.2K

$62.6 ฿2,088

43.25%

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

$12.58 ¥1,993

$11.60 ฿387

8.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.43 ¥5,927

$20.30 ฿678

84.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 ¥8,131

$37.88 ฿1,264

35.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.68 ¥583

$3.70 ฿123

-0.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ¥1,073

$6.51 ฿217

3.99%

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

$321 ¥50.8K

$727 ฿24.3K

-55.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,375 ¥1.5M

$16.6K ฿553.2K

-43.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.20 ¥3,040

$53.5 ฿1,787

-64.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.76 ¥2,021

$24.80 ฿828

-48.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.03 ¥5,073

$90.4 ฿3,017

-64.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.35 ¥4,965

$72.0 ฿2,402

-56.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$545 ¥86.3K

$481 ฿16.1K

13.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 ¥54.2K

$310 ฿10.3K

10.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ¥158.8K

$1,058 ฿35.3K

-5.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 ¥116.6K

$659 ฿22.0K

11.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,287 ¥679.0K

$2,418 ฿80.7K

77.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,485 ¥393.6K

$1,609 ฿53.7K

54.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,960 ¥310.5K

$595 ฿19.9K

229.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-82.05%

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

Last update for Fukui: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fukui

$342 32.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 9.4% $32

Groceries & Markets

Fukui

$281 27.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 15.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fukui

$140 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 32.3% $45

Eating Out

Fukui

$94 9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 18.3% $17

Getting Around

Fukui

$74 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 21.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Fukui

$65 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 21.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Fukui

$43 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 153% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $545 in Fukui versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Fukui are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Fukui versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Fukui

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

2 h behind Fukui

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,428

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

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 = 5.62 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fukui Chiang Mai 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Fukui
Chiang Mai

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

Fukui vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fukui costs about 11% 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 $1,558 per month in Fukui and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. 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 $481 there versus $545 in Fukui.

Kindergarten costs $321 per month in Fukui and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Fukui, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,039 in Fukui and $935 in Chiang Mai. 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 $1,039 in Fukui. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fukui makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.