Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Himeji and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,301 in Himeji, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Himeji
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Himeji Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Himeji

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,301

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,301 per month in Himeji vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Himeji $1,301
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,030 per month in Himeji vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Himeji $2,030
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,759 per month in Himeji vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Himeji $2,759
Chiang Mai $1,979

Himeji costs about 39% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.54 ¥1,347

$2.24 ฿75.6

281.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.04 ¥5,052

$19.00 ฿641

68.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥806

$5.55 ฿187

-7.93%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ¥396

$1.67 ฿56.5

50.30%

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

$1.31 ¥207

$0.64 ฿21.55

104.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥147

$0.31 ฿10.31

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 ¥486

$2.36 ฿79.6

30.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ¥488

$3.66 ฿124

-15.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥243

$1.95 ฿65.8

-21.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥243

$1.44 ฿48.48

6.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 ¥654

$1.33 ฿45.04

212.03%

Eggs

$2.13 ¥335

$2.28 ฿77.1

-6.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.00 ¥2,523

$16.45 ฿555

-2.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 ¥1,098

$2.78 ฿93.9

150.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.24 ¥2,718

$9.31 ฿314

85.18%

Apples (1kg)

$8.59 ¥1,355

$2.35 ฿79.4

265.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 ¥471

$0.97 ฿32.80

208.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.98 ¥786

$1.60 ฿53.9

211.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.88 ¥1,242

$1.50 ฿50.6

425.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.95 ¥622

$1.28 ฿43.12

208.59%

Onion (1kg)

$4.57 ¥720

$1.10 ฿37.19

315.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ¥181

$0.71 ฿23.82

61.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥147

$0.49 ฿16.37

89.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 ¥623

$4.14 ฿140

-4.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 ¥1,508

$17.52 ฿591

-45.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ¥417

$1.61 ฿54.5

63.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥340

$2.78 ฿94.0

-22.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 ¥253

$0.87 ฿29.31

85.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.5 ¥9,062

$54.1 ฿1,826

6.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 ¥508

$1.16 ฿39.06

177.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ¥458

$0.53 ฿17.80

447.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.79 ¥2,490

$2.42 ฿81.8

552.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ¥176

$1.45 ฿48.90

-22.76%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

1.57%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-43.88%

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

$116 ¥18.3K

$62.2 ฿2,098

86.65%

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

$23.12 ¥3,645

$12.17 ฿411

89.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.09 ¥4,903

$20.12 ฿679

54.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.40 ¥7,159

$37.31 ฿1,259

21.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.50 ¥1,971

$6.49 ฿219

92.60%

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

$701 ¥110.5K

$736 ฿24.8K

-4.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ¥2.3M

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-0.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 ¥7,940

$53.4 ฿1,801

-5.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.32 ¥5,570

$24.64 ฿831

43.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.7 ¥9,564

$91.5 ฿3,087

-33.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 ¥15.7K

$71.9 ฿2,428

38.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 ¥93.8K

$482 ฿16.3K

23.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ¥53.6K

$309 ฿10.4K

10.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ¥156.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-1.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 ¥103.5K

$633 ฿21.4K

3.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,978 ¥627.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

68.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,227 ¥351.2K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

40.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

5.57

-63.73%

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

Last update for Himeji: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Himeji

$384 29.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 39% $150

Accommodation & Living

Himeji

$340 26.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 9.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Himeji

$170 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 44.5% $76

Eating Out

Himeji

$144 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 46.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Himeji

$111 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 1.8% $2

Getting Around

Himeji

$82 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 24.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Himeji

$70 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 28.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $595 in Himeji 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 $32 in Himeji versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Himeji

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

15:17 3:17 PM

2 h behind Himeji

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

535,571

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Himeji Chiang Mai 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Himeji
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

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

Himeji costs about 39% 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 $1,952 per month in Himeji 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 $595 in Himeji.

Kindergarten costs $701 per month in Himeji 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 Himeji, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,301 in Himeji 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 $1,301 in Himeji. 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 28% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.