Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,332 in Japan, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
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Japan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,332

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Japan is 36.8% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 47% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Japan is 39.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 43.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.27 ¥993

$2.13 ฿71.4

194.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.23 ¥5,101

$19.40 ฿649

66.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥805

$5.47 ฿183

-7.13%

Cappuccino

$3.11 ¥492

$1.68 ฿56.4

85.12%

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

$1.12 ¥178

$0.66 ฿22.10

69.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$0.34 ฿11.52

117.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 ¥515

$2.42 ฿81.0

34.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ¥590

$3.73 ฿125

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$2.06 ฿68.9

-27.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.46 ฿48.78

-0.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.94 ¥782

$1.35 ฿45.09

265.93%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥333

$2.27 ฿76.0

-7.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 ¥1,810

$16.31 ฿546

-29.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 ¥1,000

$2.70 ฿90.3

134.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.80 ¥2,817

$9.20 ฿308

93.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥760

$2.39 ฿80.1

100.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 ¥388

$1.04 ฿34.66

135.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 ¥680

$1.60 ฿53.7

168.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 ¥715

$1.44 ฿48.37

213.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 ¥428

$1.30 ฿43.59

107.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 ¥427

$1.11 ฿37.29

143.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ¥211

$0.70 ฿23.55

91.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ¥140

$0.51 ฿16.99

74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥614

$4.13 ฿138

-6.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 ¥1,186

$17.78 ฿595

-57.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥301

$1.63 ฿54.7

16.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ¥415

$2.87 ฿96.0

-8.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 ¥215

$0.86 ฿28.76

58.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.6 ¥9,122

$53.2 ฿1,780

8.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 ¥578

$1.22 ฿40.81

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.16 ¥499

$0.56 ฿18.81

464.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.05 ¥3,174

$2.31 ฿77.5

767.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥170

$1.50 ฿50.2

-28.67%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$20.9K ฿698.3K

3.98%

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

$16.1K ¥2.5M

$26.7K ฿895.0K

-39.76%

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

$156 ¥24.7K

$61.3 ฿2,051

154.65%

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

$24.21 ¥3,831

$12.50 ฿419

93.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.72 ¥5,178

$20.36 ฿682

60.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 ¥8,326

$37.94 ฿1,270

38.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 ¥2,836

$3.77 ฿126

375.33%

Cinema Ticket

$12.84 ¥2,032

$6.60 ฿221

94.55%

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

$544 ¥86.2K

$774 ฿25.9K

-29.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ¥1.9M

$14.4K ฿483.2K

-16.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.82 ¥7,409

$54.8 ฿1,835

-14.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.43 ¥4,657

$25.26 ฿846

16.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 ¥9,774

$90.6 ฿3,032

-31.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 ¥12.4K

$73.3 ฿2,453

6.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥90.1K

$459 ฿15.4K

24.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ¥61.7K

$294 ฿9,835

32.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 ¥207.4K

$919 ฿30.8K

42.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ¥121.8K

$552 ฿18.5K

39.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,494 ¥869.3K

$1,917 ฿64.2K

186.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,810 ¥444.6K

$1,445 ฿48.4K

94.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,077 ¥328.7K

$592 ฿19.8K

250.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

5.57

-61.76%

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

Last update for Japan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Japan

$390 29.8%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 24.7% $96

Groceries & Markets

Japan

$315 24%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 25% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Japan

$213 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 55.8% $119

Eating Out

Japan

$134 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 42.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Japan

$97 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 12.8% $12

Getting Around

Japan

$83 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 26.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Japan

$78 6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 34.7% $27

Good to know

🇯🇵 Japan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:46 3:46 PM

13:46 1:46 PM

2 h behind Japan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,440,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Japan Chiang Mai 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Japan
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and Chiang Mai

THB, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Japan

Chiang Mai

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