Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itoman and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,162 in Itoman, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Itoman
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Itoman Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Itoman

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,162

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,162 per month in Itoman vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Itoman $1,162
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,814 per month in Itoman vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Itoman $1,814
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,466 per month in Itoman vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Itoman $2,466
Chiang Mai $1,979

Itoman costs about 24% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Itoman and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Itoman 15% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.21 ¥506

$2.24 ฿75.6

43.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.93 ¥6,307

$19.00 ฿641

110.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ¥618

$5.55 ฿187

-29.37%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ¥404

$1.67 ฿56.5

53.29%

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

$1.00 ¥158

$0.64 ฿21.53

56.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.31 ฿10.30

148.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ¥412

$2.36 ฿79.5

10.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ¥691

$3.66 ฿124

19.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.95 ฿65.7

-15.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ¥127

$1.44 ฿48.45

-44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 ¥334

$1.33 ฿45.01

59.40%

Eggs

$1.76 ¥278

$2.28 ฿77.0

-22.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.69 ¥2,794

$16.45 ฿555

7.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.91 ¥459

$2.78 ฿93.8

4.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.93 ¥1,094

$9.31 ฿314

-25.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 ¥583

$2.35 ฿79.4

57.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 ¥432

$0.97 ฿32.78

182.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ¥340

$1.60 ฿53.9

35.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 ¥793

$1.50 ฿50.6

234.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 ¥391

$1.28 ฿43.10

92.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ¥409

$1.10 ฿37.17

135.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 ¥206

$0.71 ฿23.81

84.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥103

$0.49 ฿16.36

32.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 ¥620

$4.14 ฿140

-5.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 ¥889

$17.52 ฿591

-67.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.61 ฿54.5

21.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ¥530

$2.78 ฿93.9

20.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 ¥264

$0.87 ฿29.29

91.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.6 ¥10.2K

$54.1 ฿1,825

19.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ¥585

$1.16 ฿39.03

219.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.58 ¥565

$0.53 ฿17.79

575.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.25 ¥1,778

$2.42 ฿81.7

364.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.45 ฿48.87

-26.90%

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

$21.1K ¥3.3M

$21.1K ฿710.3K

0.21%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-43.59%

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

$159 ¥25.1K

$62.2 ฿2,097

155.99%

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

$24.71 ¥3,902

$12.17 ฿410

103.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.44 ¥6,071

$20.12 ฿679

91.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.74 ¥7,381

$37.31 ฿1,259

25.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.28 ¥1,939

$6.49 ฿219

89.21%

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

$333 ¥52.5K

$736 ฿24.8K

-54.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,536 ¥874.3K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-62.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.87 ¥7,876

$53.4 ฿1,800

-6.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.12 ¥3,651

$24.64 ฿831

-6.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.5 ¥7,977

$91.5 ฿3,086

-44.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 ¥15.4K

$71.9 ฿2,426

35.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$520 ¥82.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

7.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 ¥52.0K

$309 ฿10.4K

6.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 ¥143.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-9.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 ¥109.9K

$633 ฿21.4K

9.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,553 ¥719.1K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

92.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,575 ¥406.6K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

62.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

5.57

-59.96%

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

Last update for Itoman: 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

Itoman

$329 28.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 6.2% $20

Groceries & Markets

Itoman

$250 21.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 6.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itoman

$222 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 57.5% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Itoman

$99 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 9.3% $9.3

Eating Out

Itoman

$97 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 20% $19

Getting Around

Itoman

$93 8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 33.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Itoman

$71 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 29.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $520 in Itoman 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 $40 in Itoman versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Itoman

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

20:51 8:51 PM

2 h behind Itoman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,007

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 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 = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Itoman Chiang Mai 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Itoman
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

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

Itoman costs about 24% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,744 per month in Itoman 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 $520 in Itoman and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $333 per month in Itoman 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 7% more in Itoman, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,162 in Itoman 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 $1,162 in Itoman. 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 20% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.