Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukuoka and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,307 in Fukuoka, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Fukuoka
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Fukuoka Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fukuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,307

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fukuoka 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 Fukuoka and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,307 per month in Fukuoka vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fukuoka $1,307
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,031 per month in Fukuoka vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fukuoka $2,031
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,754 per month in Fukuoka vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fukuoka $2,754
Chiang Mai $1,979

Fukuoka costs about 40% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fukuoka and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Fukuoka 4% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.33 ¥1,158

$2.24 ฿75.7

227.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.83 ¥6,920

$19.00 ฿642

130.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.97 ¥942

$5.55 ฿188

7.57%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ¥587

$1.67 ฿56.6

122.75%

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

$1.06 ¥167

$0.64 ฿21.56

65.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.31 ฿10.32

141.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 ¥608

$2.36 ฿79.6

63.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥340

$3.66 ฿124

-40.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.95 ฿65.8

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ¥288

$1.44 ฿48.51

27.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.43 ¥1,015

$1.33 ฿45.07

383.46%

Eggs

$2.30 ¥364

$2.28 ฿77.1

0.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.19 ¥2,872

$16.45 ฿556

10.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.34 ¥843

$2.78 ฿94.0

92.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.96 ¥2,994

$9.31 ฿314

103.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥572

$2.35 ฿79.5

54.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ¥293

$0.97 ฿32.82

90.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 ¥446

$1.60 ฿53.9

76.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 ¥526

$1.50 ฿50.7

122.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 ¥339

$1.28 ฿43.15

67.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ¥409

$1.10 ฿37.22

135.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ¥162

$0.71 ฿23.84

45.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥154

$0.49 ฿16.38

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 ¥628

$4.14 ฿140

-3.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.41 ¥1,012

$17.52 ฿592

-63.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥270

$1.61 ฿54.5

6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$2.78 ฿94.0

-30.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ¥204

$0.87 ฿29.33

48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ¥8,352

$54.1 ฿1,827

-2.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 ¥649

$1.16 ฿39.08

254.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 ¥377

$0.53 ฿17.82

350.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.92 ¥2,830

$2.42 ฿81.8

640.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.45 ฿48.93

-24.14%

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

$22.2K ¥3.5M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

5.29%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-44.21%

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

$215 ¥33.9K

$62.2 ฿2,100

245.87%

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

$25.33 ¥4,000

$12.17 ฿411

108.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.10 ¥5,384

$20.12 ฿680

69.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.11 ¥7,597

$37.31 ฿1,260

28.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 ¥1,990

$6.49 ฿219

94.30%

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

$702 ¥110.9K

$736 ฿24.9K

-4.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-16.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.84 ¥7,712

$53.4 ฿1,802

-8.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.49 ¥4,182

$24.64 ฿832

7.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.8 ¥10.4K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-28.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.48 ¥7,497

$71.9 ฿2,429

-34.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥82.6K

$482 ฿16.3K

8.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.4K

$309 ฿10.4K

7.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 ¥185.2K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

16.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 ¥112.0K

$633 ฿21.4K

11.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,674 ¥737.9K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

97.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,568 ¥405.5K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

61.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,647 ¥260.1K

$590 ฿19.9K

179.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

5.57

-64.63%

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

Last update for Fukuoka: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fukuoka

$332 25.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 6.8% $23

Groceries & Markets

Fukuoka

$317 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 26% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fukuoka

$274 21%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 65.6% $180

Eating Out

Fukuoka

$152 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 48.9% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Fukuoka

$85 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 28% $24

Getting Around

Fukuoka

$74 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 17.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Fukuoka

$73 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 31.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $523 in Fukuoka versus $482 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 Fukuoka are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Fukuoka versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $317 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Fukuoka

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

03:51 3:51 AM

2 h behind Fukuoka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,612,392

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fukuoka Chiang Mai 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Fukuoka
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

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

Fukuoka costs about 40% 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 $1,961 per month in Fukuoka and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $523 in Fukuoka and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Fukuoka and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Fukuoka, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,307 in Fukuoka and $936 in Chiang Mai. 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 $1,307 in Fukuoka. 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, Fukuoka makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.