Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kashiwa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,241 in Kashiwa, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Kashiwa
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Kashiwa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kashiwa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,241

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,241 per month in Kashiwa vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kashiwa $1,241
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,861 per month in Kashiwa vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kashiwa $1,861
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,481 per month in Kashiwa vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kashiwa $2,481
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kashiwa costs about 33% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kashiwa and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kashiwa 9% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.27 ¥988

$2.24 ฿75.6

179.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.74 ¥4,054

$19.00 ฿641

35.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.23 ¥824

$5.55 ฿187

-5.77%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ¥545

$1.67 ฿56.5

107.19%

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

$0.70 ¥110

$0.64 ฿21.54

9.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.31 ฿10.31

154.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ¥403

$2.36 ฿79.5

8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 ¥490

$3.66 ฿124

-15.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥203

$1.95 ฿65.7

-33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ¥173

$1.44 ฿48.46

-23.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 ¥569

$1.33 ฿45.03

171.43%

Eggs

$1.96 ¥308

$2.28 ฿77.1

-14.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.46 ¥1,018

$16.45 ฿555

-60.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 ¥954

$2.78 ฿93.9

117.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.59 ¥1,511

$9.31 ฿314

3.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.55 ¥875

$2.35 ฿79.4

136.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ¥431

$0.97 ฿32.79

181.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 ¥468

$1.60 ฿53.9

85.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 ¥668

$1.50 ฿50.6

182.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 ¥420

$1.28 ฿43.11

108.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$1.10 ฿37.18

131.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥95.2

$0.71 ฿23.82

-15.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥104

$0.49 ฿16.36

34.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 ¥618

$4.14 ฿140

-5.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 ¥1,013

$17.52 ฿591

-63.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥286

$1.61 ฿54.5

13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥293

$2.78 ฿93.9

-33.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥237

$0.87 ฿29.30

73.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.3 ¥9,030

$54.1 ฿1,825

5.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$1.16 ฿39.04

168.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ¥245

$0.53 ฿17.80

192.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.28 ¥3,194

$2.42 ฿81.7

738.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ¥160

$1.45 ฿48.88

-29.66%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

2.28%

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)

$124 ¥19.6K

$62.2 ฿2,098

100.19%

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

$24.64 ¥3,881

$12.17 ฿411

102.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.79 ¥5,164

$20.12 ฿679

62.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 ¥8,869

$37.31 ฿1,259

50.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 ¥2,013

$6.49 ฿219

96.92%

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

$815 ¥128.3K

$736 ฿24.8K

10.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ¥2.3M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-1.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 ¥9,763

$53.4 ฿1,801

16.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.55 ¥5,757

$24.64 ฿831

48.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.0 ¥9,768

$91.5 ฿3,087

-32.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ¥15.9K

$71.9 ฿2,427

40.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥82.8K

$482 ฿16.3K

8.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 ¥63.4K

$309 ฿10.4K

30.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 ¥157.6K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-0.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 ¥112.7K

$633 ฿21.4K

12.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,322 ¥680.8K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

82.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,597 ¥409.1K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

63.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,664 ¥419.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

351.81%

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 Kashiwa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kashiwa

$402 32.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 23.2% $93

Groceries & Markets

Kashiwa

$251 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 6.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kashiwa

$182 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 48.1% $87

Eating Out

Kashiwa

$132 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 41.4% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Kashiwa

$118 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 7.7% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Kashiwa

$82 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 38.6% $32

Getting Around

Kashiwa

$74 6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 17.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Kashiwa 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.

Salaries in Kashiwa are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Kashiwa versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kashiwa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

2 h behind Kashiwa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

417,394

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 →

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Between locations

Kashiwa Chiang Mai 4,430 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kashiwa
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

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

Kashiwa costs about 33% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,862 per month in Kashiwa 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 $526 in Kashiwa and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Kashiwa 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 Kashiwa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,241 in Kashiwa and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,241 in Kashiwa. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kashiwa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.