Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyoto and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,290 in Kyoto, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,290

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,290 per month in Kyoto vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kyoto $1,290
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,932 per month in Kyoto vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kyoto $1,932
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,574 per month in Kyoto vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kyoto $2,574
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kyoto costs about 38% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kyoto and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kyoto 5% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.77 ¥1,543

$2.24 ฿75.7

336.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.34 ¥5,109

$19.00 ฿642

70.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥808

$5.55 ฿188

-7.93%

Cappuccino

$3.22 ¥508

$1.67 ฿56.6

92.81%

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

$0.89 ¥141

$0.64 ฿21.56

39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.31 ฿10.32

129.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ¥509

$2.36 ฿79.6

36.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 ¥924

$3.66 ฿124

59.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.95 ฿65.8

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥254

$1.44 ฿48.51

11.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 ¥923

$1.33 ฿45.07

339.10%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥333

$2.28 ฿77.1

-7.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 ¥1,396

$16.45 ฿556

-46.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.92 ¥1,252

$2.78 ฿94.0

184.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 ¥1,691

$9.31 ฿314

14.93%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 ¥820

$2.35 ฿79.5

120.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ¥375

$0.97 ฿32.82

144.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 ¥814

$1.60 ฿53.9

221.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 ¥583

$1.50 ฿50.7

146.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 ¥295

$1.28 ฿43.15

46.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ¥262

$1.10 ฿37.22

50.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥180

$0.71 ฿23.84

60.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.49 ฿16.38

91.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥639

$4.14 ฿140

-2.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 ¥1,222

$17.52 ฿592

-55.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥255

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ¥532

$2.78 ฿94.0

21.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ¥225

$0.87 ฿29.33

63.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 ¥9,810

$54.1 ฿1,827

14.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 ¥521

$1.16 ฿39.08

184.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.88 ¥612

$0.53 ฿17.82

632.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.45 ฿48.93

-24.14%

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

$22.7K ¥3.6M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

7.87%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-42.50%

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

$101 ¥16.0K

$62.2 ฿2,100

62.70%

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

$23.51 ¥3,714

$12.17 ฿411

93.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.41 ¥4,804

$20.12 ฿680

51.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ¥8,150

$37.31 ฿1,260

38.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.87 ¥2,982

$3.77 ฿127

400.53%

Cinema Ticket

$13.72 ¥2,168

$6.49 ฿219

111.40%

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

$718 ¥113.4K

$736 ฿24.9K

-2.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,490 ¥1.0M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-56.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ¥8,962

$53.4 ฿1,802

6.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.07 ¥7,121

$24.64 ฿832

82.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 ¥11.1K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-23.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.2K

$71.9 ฿2,429

42.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$638 ¥100.7K

$482 ฿16.3K

32.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 ¥59.9K

$309 ฿10.4K

22.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,176 ¥185.7K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

16.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$577 ¥91.2K

$633 ฿21.4K

-8.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,226 ¥667.6K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

78.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,921 ¥461.5K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

83.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,873 ¥295.8K

$590 ฿19.9K

217.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

5.57

-59.96%

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

Last update for Kyoto: 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

Kyoto

$379 29.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 18.6% $70

Groceries & Markets

Kyoto

$296 22.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 20.8% $62

Eating Out

Kyoto

$166 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 53.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kyoto

$155 12%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 39.1% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Kyoto

$123 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 12% $15

Getting Around

Kyoto

$90 7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 32.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Kyoto

$79 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 36.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $638 in Kyoto 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 Kyoto are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Kyoto versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $296 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

20:01 8:01 PM

2 h behind Kyoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,183

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 →

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Between locations

Kyoto Chiang Mai 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kyoto
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

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

Kyoto costs about 38% 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 $1,934 per month in Kyoto 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 $638 in Kyoto.

Kindergarten costs $718 per month in Kyoto 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 26% more in Kyoto, 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 $1,290 in Kyoto 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 $1,290 in Kyoto. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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