Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kitakyushu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,250 in Kitakyushu, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Kitakyushu
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Kitakyushu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Kitakyushu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,250

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,250 per month in Kitakyushu vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kitakyushu $1,250
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,923 per month in Kitakyushu vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kitakyushu $1,923
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,596 per month in Kitakyushu vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kitakyushu $2,596
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kitakyushu costs about 34% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kitakyushu and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kitakyushu 8% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.03 ¥1,108

$2.24 ฿75.6

213.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.97 ¥5,198

$19.00 ฿641

73.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 ¥855

$5.55 ฿187

-2.16%

Cappuccino

$3.40 ¥536

$1.67 ฿56.5

103.59%

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

$1.06 ¥167

$0.64 ฿21.55

65.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥111

$0.31 ฿10.31

125.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 ¥479

$2.36 ฿79.6

28.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥343

$3.66 ฿124

-40.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 ¥224

$1.95 ฿65.8

-27.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.44 ฿48.48

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.29 ¥834

$1.33 ฿45.04

297.74%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥347

$2.28 ฿77.1

-3.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 ¥1,485

$16.45 ฿555

-42.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 ¥828

$2.78 ฿93.9

88.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.86 ¥2,973

$9.31 ฿314

102.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 ¥566

$2.35 ฿79.4

52.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 ¥296

$0.97 ฿32.80

93.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 ¥440

$1.60 ฿53.9

74.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 ¥453

$1.50 ฿50.6

91.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 ¥351

$1.28 ฿43.12

74.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 ¥417

$1.10 ฿37.19

140.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ¥165

$0.71 ฿23.82

47.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥156

$0.49 ฿16.37

102.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 ¥639

$4.14 ฿140

-2.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.23 ¥983

$17.52 ฿591

-64.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.61 ฿54.5

1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥270

$2.78 ฿94.0

-38.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 ¥256

$0.87 ฿29.31

86.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.8 ¥8,950

$54.1 ฿1,826

4.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 ¥627

$1.16 ฿39.06

243.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 ¥322

$0.53 ฿17.80

284.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.83 ¥2,811

$2.42 ฿81.8

636.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥165

$1.45 ฿48.90

-27.59%

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

$20.3K ¥3.2M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

-3.77%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-42.90%

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

$196 ¥31.0K

$62.2 ฿2,098

216.05%

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

$25.10 ¥3,959

$12.17 ฿411

106.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.21 ¥5,079

$20.12 ฿679

60.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,220

$37.31 ฿1,259

39.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.22 ¥508

$3.77 ฿127

-14.59%

Cinema Ticket

$12.65 ¥1,995

$6.49 ฿219

94.92%

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

$379 ¥59.7K

$736 ฿24.8K

-48.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ¥1.9M

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-16.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.55 ¥7,656

$53.4 ฿1,801

-9.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.37 ¥4,158

$24.64 ฿831

7.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 ¥10.6K

$91.5 ฿3,087

-26.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.7 ¥8,784

$71.9 ฿2,428

-22.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$555 ¥87.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

15.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 ¥53.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

9.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 ¥158.5K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-0.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 ¥112.8K

$633 ฿21.4K

12.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,304 ¥678.7K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

82.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,319 ¥365.6K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

45.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,533 ¥241.8K

$590 ฿19.9K

160.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.69

5.57

-69.66%

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

Last update for Kitakyushu: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kitakyushu

$338 27%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 8.5% $29

Groceries & Markets

Kitakyushu

$275 22%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 14.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kitakyushu

$254 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 62.8% $159

Eating Out

Kitakyushu

$140 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 44.5% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Kitakyushu

$89 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 22.1% $20

Getting Around

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 20.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $555 in Kitakyushu 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 Kitakyushu are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Kitakyushu versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kitakyushu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

12:49 12:49 PM

2 h behind Kitakyushu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,029

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 = 2.96 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 = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kitakyushu Chiang Mai 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kitakyushu
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

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

Kitakyushu costs about 34% 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 $1,875 per month in Kitakyushu 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 $555 in Kitakyushu.

Kindergarten costs $379 per month in Kitakyushu 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 17% more in Kitakyushu, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,250 in Kitakyushu 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 $1,250 in Kitakyushu. 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, Kitakyushu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.