Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kawasaki and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,476 in Kawasaki, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
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Kawasaki Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,476

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,476 per month in Kawasaki vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kawasaki $1,476
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,239 per month in Kawasaki vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kawasaki $2,239
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,003 per month in Kawasaki vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kawasaki $3,003
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kawasaki costs about 58% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kawasaki sits 8% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.43 ¥1,171

$2.24 ฿75.6

231.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.97 ¥5,981

$19.00 ฿641

99.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥785

$5.55 ฿187

-10.09%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ¥407

$1.67 ฿56.5

55.09%

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

$1.57 ¥248

$0.64 ฿21.54

145.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥144

$0.31 ฿10.31

193.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 ¥508

$2.36 ฿79.5

36.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ¥493

$3.66 ฿124

-14.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥238

$1.95 ฿65.7

-22.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥246

$1.44 ฿48.46

8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ¥663

$1.33 ฿45.03

216.54%

Eggs

$2.15 ¥339

$2.28 ฿77.1

-5.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 ¥1,802

$16.45 ฿555

-30.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 ¥1,058

$2.78 ฿93.9

141.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.41 ¥2,585

$9.31 ฿314

76.26%

Apples (1kg)

$6.02 ¥949

$2.35 ฿79.4

156.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ¥449

$0.97 ฿32.79

193.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 ¥785

$1.60 ฿53.9

211.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥816

$1.50 ฿50.6

245.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ¥535

$1.28 ฿43.11

165.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 ¥486

$1.10 ฿37.18

180.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥188

$0.71 ฿23.82

67.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥122

$0.49 ฿16.36

59.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ¥625

$4.14 ฿140

-4.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.29 ¥1,463

$17.52 ฿591

-46.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ¥377

$1.61 ฿54.5

48.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ¥417

$2.78 ฿93.9

-4.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 ¥303

$0.87 ฿29.30

120.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.5 ¥7,948

$54.1 ฿1,825

-6.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ¥488

$1.16 ฿39.04

167.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 ¥504

$0.53 ฿17.80

503.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.58 ¥2,926

$2.42 ฿81.7

667.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥168

$1.45 ฿48.88

-26.21%

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

$22.1K ¥3.5M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

5.02%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-43.01%

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

$129 ¥20.2K

$62.2 ฿2,098

106.72%

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

$23.08 ¥3,635

$12.17 ฿411

89.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.16 ¥4,908

$20.12 ฿679

54.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 ¥8,790

$37.31 ฿1,259

49.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.47 ¥1,019

$3.77 ฿127

71.62%

Cinema Ticket

$12.62 ¥1,989

$6.49 ฿219

94.45%

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

$695 ¥109.5K

$736 ฿24.8K

-5.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

1.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 ¥8,065

$53.4 ฿1,801

-4.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.12 ¥5,217

$24.64 ฿831

34.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 ¥10.5K

$91.5 ฿3,087

-27.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.4 ¥11.1K

$71.9 ฿2,427

-2.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥121.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

59.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 ¥89.0K

$309 ฿10.4K

82.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 ¥201.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

27.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ¥158.5K

$633 ฿21.4K

58.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,670 ¥735.7K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

97.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,220 ¥507.3K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

102.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,608 ¥410.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

342.16%

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 Kawasaki: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kawasaki

$565 38.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 45.3% $256

Groceries & Markets

Kawasaki

$333 22.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 29.5% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kawasaki

$183 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 48.3% $88

Eating Out

Kawasaki

$138 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 43.7% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Kawasaki

$99 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 9.2% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Kawasaki

$81 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 38% $31

Getting Around

Kawasaki

$77 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 20.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $771 in Kawasaki 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 Kawasaki are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Kawasaki versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

12:36 12:36 PM

2 h behind Kawasaki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,538,262

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 2, 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 2, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Kawasaki Chiang Mai 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kawasaki
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

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

Kawasaki costs about 58% 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 $2,214 per month in Kawasaki 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 $771 in Kawasaki.

Kindergarten costs $695 per month in Kawasaki 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 42% more in Kawasaki, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,476 in Kawasaki 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 $1,476 in Kawasaki. 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, Kawasaki makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.