Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hachioji and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,429 in Hachioji, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Hachioji
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Hachioji Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hachioji

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,429

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,429 per month in Hachioji vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hachioji $1,429
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,112 per month in Hachioji vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hachioji $2,112
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,795 per month in Hachioji vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hachioji $2,795
Chiang Mai $1,999

Hachioji costs about 53% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hachioji sits 6% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.27 ¥830

$2.13 ฿71.4

147.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.84 ¥5,014

$18.62 ฿623

71.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 ¥741

$5.60 ฿187

-16.07%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥484

$1.66 ฿55.6

84.94%

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

$0.82 ¥130

$0.65 ฿21.63

26.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ¥107

$0.30 ฿10.20

126.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ¥413

$2.32 ฿77.7

12.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 ¥511

$3.67 ฿123

-11.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥192

$2.02 ฿67.4

-39.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.41 ฿47.08

7.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.45 ¥700

$1.39 ฿46.54

220.14%

Eggs

$2.13 ¥336

$2.37 ฿79.2

-10.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.43 ¥1,643

$16.52 ฿552

-36.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 ¥1,050

$2.67 ฿89.3

149.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.90 ¥2,662

$9.02 ฿302

87.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 ¥596

$2.40 ฿80.2

57.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ¥361

$1.04 ฿34.82

120.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 ¥450

$1.66 ฿55.5

71.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 ¥645

$1.56 ฿52.1

162.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥394

$1.24 ฿41.39

101.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 ¥388

$1.09 ฿36.34

125.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥200

$0.76 ฿25.47

67.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥123

$0.51 ฿17.19

52.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥606

$4.12 ฿138

-6.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.53 ¥1,028

$17.93 ฿600

-63.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 ¥388

$1.62 ฿54.3

52.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥345

$2.82 ฿94.4

-22.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ¥139

$0.93 ฿31.25

-5.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.1 ¥8,833

$52.9 ฿1,769

6.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥490

$1.18 ฿39.35

163.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.83 ¥603

$0.17 ฿5.73

2152.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.66 ¥4,042

$1.81 ฿60.6

1317.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥166

$1.47 ฿49.25

-27.89%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$21.0K ฿702.6K

2.95%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$26.5K ฿886.7K

-43.12%

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

$134 ¥21.2K

$62.6 ฿2,092

114.74%

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

$20.69 ¥3,259

$11.60 ฿388

78.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.77 ¥5,791

$20.30 ฿679

81.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,202

$37.88 ฿1,267

37.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.24 ¥3,976

$3.70 ฿124

582.16%

Cinema Ticket

$13.18 ¥2,076

$6.51 ฿218

102.46%

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

$782 ¥123.2K

$727 ฿24.3K

7.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥2.8M

$16.6K ฿554.2K

5.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.24 ¥7,755

$53.5 ฿1,790

-8.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.63 ¥4,982

$24.80 ฿829

27.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 ¥9,842

$90.4 ฿3,023

-30.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 ¥14.0K

$72.0 ฿2,407

23.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 ¥147.3K

$481 ฿16.1K

94.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 ¥88.8K

$310 ฿10.4K

81.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 ¥252.2K

$1,058 ฿35.4K

51.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$932 ¥146.8K

$659 ฿22.0K

41.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,211 ¥663.3K

$2,418 ฿80.8K

74.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,277 ¥358.6K

$1,609 ฿53.8K

41.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,747 ¥432.6K

$595 ฿19.9K

361.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

5.57

-60.32%

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

Last update for Hachioji: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hachioji

$564 39.4%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 45% $254

Groceries & Markets

Hachioji

$290 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 18.5% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hachioji

$192 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 50.7% $97

Eating Out

Hachioji

$119 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 35.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Hachioji

$104 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 3.7% $3.9

Getting Around

Hachioji

$82 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 28.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Hachioji

$78 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 35.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $936 in Hachioji 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 Hachioji are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Hachioji versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Hachioji

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

21:28 9:28 PM

2 h behind Hachioji

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

555,517

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 157 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.65 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hachioji Chiang Mai 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Hachioji
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

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

Hachioji costs about 53% 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 $2,144 per month in Hachioji 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 $936 in Hachioji.

Kindergarten costs $782 per month in Hachioji 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 23% more in Hachioji, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,429 in Hachioji and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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