Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kurume and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $986 in Kurume, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. The total is higher in Kurume despite lower rent and utilities.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
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Kurume Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$986

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $986 per month in Kurume vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kurume $986
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,555 per month in Kurume vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kurume $1,555
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,124 per month in Kurume vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kurume $2,124
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kurume costs about 5% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kurume and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kurume 28% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.30 ¥679

$2.24 ฿75.7

91.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.56 ¥6,724

$19.00 ฿642

124.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.85 ¥608

$5.55 ฿188

-30.63%

Cappuccino

$1.88 ¥298

$1.67 ฿56.6

12.57%

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

$0.69 ¥108

$0.64 ฿21.56

7.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ¥84.3

$0.31 ฿10.32

70.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ¥494

$2.36 ฿79.6

32.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥257

$3.66 ฿124

-55.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥206

$1.95 ฿65.8

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ¥203

$1.44 ฿48.51

-10.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.01 ¥792

$1.33 ฿45.07

276.69%

Eggs

$1.87 ¥296

$2.28 ฿77.1

-17.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ¥2,836

$16.45 ฿556

9.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.52 ¥873

$2.78 ฿94.0

98.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.22 ¥3,036

$9.31 ฿314

106.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 ¥560

$2.35 ฿79.5

50.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 ¥294

$0.97 ฿32.82

91.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 ¥461

$1.60 ฿53.9

82.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 ¥514

$1.50 ฿50.7

116.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 ¥348

$1.28 ฿43.15

71.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$1.10 ฿37.22

138.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ¥165

$0.71 ฿23.84

46.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ¥152

$0.49 ฿16.38

95.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ¥564

$4.14 ฿140

-13.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 ¥1,030

$17.52 ฿592

-62.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥265

$1.61 ฿54.5

4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ¥174

$2.78 ฿94.0

-60.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥233

$0.87 ฿29.33

68.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.0 ¥9,169

$54.1 ฿1,827

7.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 ¥656

$1.16 ฿39.08

257.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 ¥366

$0.53 ฿17.82

335.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.66 ¥2,790

$2.42 ฿81.8

629.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 ¥103

$1.45 ฿48.93

-55.17%

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

$22.6K ¥3.6M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

7.18%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-43.41%

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

$215 ¥34.0K

$62.2 ฿2,100

246.32%

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

$24.93 ¥3,939

$12.17 ฿411

104.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 ¥3,579

$20.12 ฿680

12.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 ¥8,811

$37.31 ฿1,260

49.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 ¥1,092

$6.49 ฿219

6.47%

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

$695 ¥109.8K

$736 ฿24.9K

-5.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K ¥2.0M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-15.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.99 ¥7,740

$53.4 ฿1,802

-8.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.62 ¥1,994

$24.64 ฿832

-48.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.10 ¥3,965

$91.5 ฿3,089

-72.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.59 ¥4,990

$71.9 ฿2,429

-56.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 ¥86.7K

$482 ฿16.3K

13.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 ¥20.1K

$309 ฿10.4K

-58.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$485 ¥76.6K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-51.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 ¥50.2K

$633 ฿21.4K

-49.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,977 ¥628.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

68.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,146 ¥339.1K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

35.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,510 ¥238.5K

$590 ฿19.9K

156.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

5.57

-64.63%

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

Last update for Kurume: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kurume

$301 30.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 22% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kurume

$263 26.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.1% $168

Accommodation & Living

Kurume

$127 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 143% $182

Eating Out

Kurume

$92 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 16% $15

Getting Around

Kurume

$80 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 23% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Kurume

$70 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Kurume

$53 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 104% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $549 in Kurume 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 Kurume are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Kurume versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kurume

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

16:35 4:35 PM

2 h behind Kurume

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

303,316

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kurume Chiang Mai 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kurume
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

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

Kurume costs about 5% 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 $1,478 per month in Kurume 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 $549 in Kurume.

Kindergarten costs $695 per month in Kurume 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 28% more in Kurume, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $986 in Kurume and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $986 in Kurume. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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