Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gifu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,267 in Gifu, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Gifu
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Gifu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Gifu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,267

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,267 per month in Gifu vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gifu $1,267
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,040 per month in Gifu vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gifu $2,040
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,814 per month in Gifu vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gifu $2,814
Chiang Mai $1,979

Gifu costs about 35% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Gifu and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Gifu 7% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.71 ¥1,218

$2.24 ฿75.7

244.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.30 ¥4,945

$19.00 ฿642

64.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 ¥766

$5.55 ฿188

-12.61%

Cappuccino

$2.31 ¥365

$1.67 ฿56.6

38.32%

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

$1.18 ¥186

$0.64 ฿21.56

84.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥97.3

$0.31 ฿10.32

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ¥335

$2.36 ฿79.6

-10.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ¥374

$3.66 ฿124

-35.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥237

$1.95 ฿65.8

-23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 ¥208

$1.44 ฿48.51

-8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 ¥871

$1.33 ฿45.07

315.04%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥330

$2.28 ฿77.1

-8.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 ¥1,979

$16.45 ฿556

-23.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 ¥1,517

$2.78 ฿94.0

245.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.24 ¥5,093

$9.31 ฿314

246.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 ¥602

$2.35 ฿79.5

62.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ¥364

$0.97 ฿32.82

137.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.42 ¥1,014

$1.60 ฿53.9

301.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 ¥665

$1.50 ฿50.7

180.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 ¥590

$1.28 ฿43.15

192.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 ¥548

$1.10 ฿37.22

215.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥204

$0.71 ฿23.84

81.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ¥150

$0.49 ฿16.38

93.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.54 ¥560

$4.14 ฿140

-14.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.36 ¥1,321

$17.52 ฿592

-52.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥322

$1.61 ฿54.5

26.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥241

$2.78 ฿94.0

-44.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 ¥246

$0.87 ฿29.33

79.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.4 ¥9,707

$54.1 ฿1,827

13.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ¥498

$1.16 ฿39.08

171.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥514

$0.53 ฿17.82

515.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.03 ¥4,270

$2.42 ฿81.8

1016.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.45 ฿48.93

-23.45%

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

$20.0K ¥3.2M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-5.10%

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

$16.5K ¥2.6M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-38.58%

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

$143 ¥22.6K

$62.2 ฿2,100

130.32%

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

$24.52 ¥3,874

$12.17 ฿411

101.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.97 ¥6,789

$20.12 ฿680

113.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.00 ¥7,742

$37.31 ฿1,260

31.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 ¥1,993

$6.49 ฿219

94.30%

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

$323 ¥51.1K

$736 ฿24.9K

-56.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,232 ¥984.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-57.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.60 ¥7,836

$53.4 ฿1,802

-7.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.33 ¥4,002

$24.64 ฿832

2.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.99 ¥7,423

$91.5 ฿3,089

-48.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.0 ¥10.4K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-8.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 ¥89.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

16.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥47.1K

$309 ฿10.4K

-3.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ¥169.9K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

6.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 ¥116.4K

$633 ฿21.4K

16.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,525 ¥714.9K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

91.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 ¥347.8K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

38.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.28

5.57

-59.07%

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

Last update for Gifu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gifu

$385 30.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 39.2% $151

Accommodation & Living

Gifu

$298 23.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 3.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gifu

$211 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.2% $116

Eating Out

Gifu

$126 10%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 38.6% $49

Getting Around

Gifu

$87 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 29.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Gifu

$85 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 28.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Gifu

$74 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 32.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $564 in Gifu 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Gifu versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Gifu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

19:00 7:00 PM

2 h behind Gifu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

404,352

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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gifu Chiang Mai 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Gifu
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

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

Gifu costs about 35% 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 $1,900 per month in Gifu 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 $482 there versus $564 in Gifu.

Kindergarten costs $323 per month in Gifu and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Gifu, 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 $1,267 in Gifu and $936 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,267 in Gifu. 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 35% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.