Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kawagoe and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,075 in Kawagoe, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
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Kawagoe Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,075

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,075 per month in Kawagoe vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kawagoe $1,075
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,744 per month in Kawagoe vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kawagoe $1,744
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,413 per month in Kawagoe vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kawagoe $2,413
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kawagoe costs about 15% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kawagoe and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kawagoe 21% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.33 ¥1,000

$2.24 ฿75.5

182.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.23 ¥6,507

$19.00 ฿640

117.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 ¥782

$5.55 ฿187

-10.81%

Cappuccino

$3.50 ¥552

$1.67 ฿56.4

109.58%

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

$0.92 ¥145

$0.64 ฿21.51

43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥82.6

$0.31 ฿10.29

67.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 ¥301

$2.36 ฿79.5

-19.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 ¥432

$3.66 ฿123

-25.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥182

$1.95 ฿65.7

-41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 ¥202

$1.44 ฿48.41

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ¥579

$1.33 ฿44.97

175.94%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥328

$2.28 ฿77.0

-8.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.34 ¥1,001

$16.45 ฿554

-61.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 ¥932

$2.78 ฿93.8

112.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 ¥2,236

$9.31 ฿314

52.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 ¥918

$2.35 ฿79.3

147.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 ¥369

$0.97 ฿32.75

141.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 ¥455

$1.60 ฿53.8

80.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 ¥492

$1.50 ฿50.6

108.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 ¥401

$1.28 ฿43.06

98.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 ¥292

$1.10 ฿37.14

68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$0.71 ฿23.79

78.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$0.49 ฿16.34

55.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥604

$4.14 ฿140

-7.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.65 ¥734

$17.52 ฿590

-73.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥286

$1.61 ฿54.4

12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥320

$2.78 ฿93.8

-26.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.97 ¥469

$0.87 ฿29.27

241.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.8 ¥8,338

$54.1 ฿1,823

-2.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$1.16 ฿39.00

168.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 ¥415

$0.53 ฿17.78

396.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.31 ¥3,205

$2.42 ฿81.6

739.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.45 ฿48.82

-26.90%

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

$15.6K ¥2.5M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

-25.84%

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

$12.8K ¥2.0M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-52.35%

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

$133 ¥21.0K

$62.2 ฿2,095

113.83%

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

$22.18 ¥3,500

$12.17 ฿410

82.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.10 ¥4,909

$20.12 ฿678

54.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.19 ¥6,817

$37.31 ฿1,257

15.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.97 ¥4,888

$3.77 ฿127

721.49%

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 ¥1,729

$6.49 ฿219

68.72%

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

$320 ¥50.6K

$736 ฿24.8K

-56.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,292 ¥993.1K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-57.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.66 ¥4,997

$53.4 ฿1,799

-40.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.72 ¥5,323

$24.64 ฿830

36.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.55 ¥6,874

$91.5 ฿3,083

-52.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 ¥14.7K

$71.9 ฿2,424

29.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ¥64.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

-15.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 ¥42.1K

$309 ฿10.4K

-13.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 ¥136.1K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-14.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 ¥95.5K

$633 ฿21.3K

-4.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,474 ¥390.5K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

4.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,772 ¥279.6K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

11.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,597 ¥252.0K

$590 ฿19.9K

170.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.6

5.57

-71.27%

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

Last update for Kawagoe: 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

Kawagoe

$267 24.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 15.8% $42

Groceries & Markets

Kawagoe

$257 23.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 8.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kawagoe

$186 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 49.3% $92

Eating Out

Kawagoe

$128 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 39.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Kawagoe

$91 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 19.4% $18

Getting Around

Kawagoe

$81 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 24.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Kawagoe

$65 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 22.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Kawagoe 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 Kawagoe are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Kawagoe versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

2 h behind Kawagoe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

350,745

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 = 2.97 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 29, 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Kawagoe Chiang Mai 4,390 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kawagoe
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

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

Kawagoe costs about 15% 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 $1,612 per month in Kawagoe 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 Kawagoe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $407 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Kawagoe and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Kawagoe, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,075 in Kawagoe 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 $1,075 in Kawagoe. 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.

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