Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamamatsu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamamatsu: $783 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

Cost of Living Index in Hamamatsu
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Hamamatsu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hamamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$783

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $783 per month in Hamamatsu vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hamamatsu $783
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,266 per month in Hamamatsu vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hamamatsu $1,266
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,750 per month in Hamamatsu vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hamamatsu $1,750
Chiang Mai $1,979

Hamamatsu is about 16% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Hamamatsu and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Hamamatsu 42% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 ¥614

$2.24 ฿75.6

74.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.78 ¥6,581

$19.00 ฿641

119.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 ¥818

$5.55 ฿187

-6.49%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥538

$1.67 ฿56.5

104.19%

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

$1.10 ¥173

$0.64 ฿21.54

71.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.31 ฿10.31

141.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ¥411

$2.36 ฿79.5

10.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 ¥489

$3.66 ฿124

-15.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ¥170

$1.95 ฿65.7

-44.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥267

$1.44 ฿48.46

18.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ¥578

$1.33 ฿45.03

175.94%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥265

$2.28 ฿77.1

-26.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.25 ¥1,615

$16.45 ฿555

-37.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 ¥971

$2.78 ฿93.9

121.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.24 ¥2,242

$9.31 ฿314

52.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.80 ¥914

$2.35 ฿79.4

146.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 ¥447

$0.97 ฿32.79

192.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 ¥465

$1.60 ฿53.9

84.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 ¥678

$1.50 ฿50.6

186.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ¥412

$1.28 ฿43.11

103.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ¥407

$1.10 ฿37.18

135.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥204

$0.71 ฿23.82

81.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥104

$0.49 ฿16.36

34.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥612

$4.14 ฿140

-6.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.39 ¥1,006

$17.52 ฿591

-63.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥287

$1.61 ฿54.5

13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥331

$2.78 ฿93.9

-24.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 ¥7,896

$54.1 ฿1,825

-7.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥489

$1.16 ฿39.04

168.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 ¥414

$0.53 ฿17.80

396.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.62 ¥3,248

$2.42 ฿81.7

752.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.45 ฿48.88

-26.90%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

2.55%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-41.24%

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

$130 ¥20.5K

$62.2 ฿2,098

109.78%

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

$8.59 ¥1,353

$12.17 ฿411

-29.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.78 ¥5,164

$20.12 ฿679

62.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.40 ¥2,741

$3.77 ฿127

361.54%

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 ¥2,060

$6.49 ฿219

101.54%

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

$819 ¥129.0K

$736 ฿24.8K

11.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

0.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ¥10.0K

$53.4 ฿1,801

19.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.10 ¥5,844

$24.64 ฿831

50.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.3 ¥9,655

$91.5 ฿3,087

-33.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 ¥16.2K

$71.9 ฿2,427

43.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,787 ¥1.2M

$2,363 ฿79.7K

229.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,298 ¥834.5K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

233.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,602 ¥252.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

171.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

5.57

-52.60%

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

Last update for Hamamatsu: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hamamatsu

$285 36.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 17.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamamatsu

$172 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 45% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Hamamatsu

$119 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 9% $11

Eating Out

Hamamatsu

$114 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 32.2% $37

Getting Around

Hamamatsu

$66 * 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 7.6% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Hamamatsu

$26 * 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 92.2% $24

Accommodation & Living

Hamamatsu

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Hamamatsu are about 2.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Hamamatsu versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Hamamatsu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

03:21 3:21 AM

2 h behind Hamamatsu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

797,033

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hamamatsu Chiang Mai 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamamatsu
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Hamamatsu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,175 per month in Hamamatsu and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $819 per month in Hamamatsu and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $783 in Hamamatsu and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hamamatsu costs $783 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.