Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyoto and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyoto and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Kyoto is 32.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 51.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Kyoto is 78.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 64.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kyoto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.29 ¥1,632
$2.01 ฿64.4
411.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.69 ¥5,503
$18.23 ฿583
90.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.50 ¥873
$7.65 ฿244
-28.10%
Cappuccino
$3.45 ¥548
$1.92 ฿61.3
79.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ¥139
$0.84 ฿26.90
3.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 ¥126
$0.36 ฿11.39
119.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.50 ¥555
$2.19 ฿70.0
59.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.49 ¥1,030
$3.79 ฿121
71.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kyoto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 ¥254
$1.64 ฿52.4
-2.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.78 ¥282
$1.62 ฿51.8
9.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.16 ¥501
$1.15 ฿36.88
174.78%
Eggs
$2.27 ¥359
$1.94 ฿62.0
17.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.57 ¥1,518
$15.94 ฿510
-39.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.56 ¥1,199
$3.10 ฿99.2
143.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.71 ¥2,491
$11.07 ฿354
41.92%
Apples (1kg)
$5.52 ¥875
$2.71 ฿86.5
103.69%
Banana (1kg)
$2.48 ¥393
$1.18 ฿37.69
110.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.34 ¥1,006
$1.71 ฿54.5
270.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.87 ¥613
$1.61 ฿51.3
140.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.59 ¥252
$1.39 ฿44.53
14.39%
Onion (1kg)
$2.30 ¥364
$1.15 ฿36.70
100.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.26 ¥200
$0.71 ฿22.76
77.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 ¥159
$0.55 ฿17.60
81.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 ¥644
$4.57 ฿146
-11.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.70 ¥1,221
$18.87 ฿603
-59.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ¥280
$1.82 ฿58.2
-2.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 ¥562
$3.21 ฿103
10.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Kyoto
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.60 ¥254
$0.88 ฿28.16
81.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$69.9 ¥11.1K
$18.89 ฿604
270.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.46 ¥549
$1.41 ฿45.17
145.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.88 ¥456
$1.30 ฿41.59
121.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.62 ¥2,795
$8.20 ฿262
114.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 ¥188
$1.23 ฿39.18
-4.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.9K ¥3.6M
$21.2K ฿677.0K
8.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.8K ¥2.7M
$22.3K ฿713.3K
-24.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kyoto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$114 ¥18.1K
$69.9 ฿2,234
63.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.12 ¥4,143
$14.07 ฿450
85.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.72 ¥5,348
$17.70 ฿566
90.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kyoto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.6 ¥9,302
$41.41 ฿1,324
41.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.60 ¥3,268
$6.69 ฿214
207.92%
Cinema Ticket
$12.94 ¥2,052
$5.74 ฿184
125.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kyoto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$372 ¥59.0K
$299 ฿9,566
24.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,495 ¥1.2M
$15.0K ฿479.8K
-50.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kyoto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.35 ¥7,194
$54.8 ฿1,753
-17.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.38 ¥5,137
$26.35 ฿842
22.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.1 ¥11.6K
$84.7 ฿2,706
-13.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.2 ¥14.5K
$69.7 ฿2,229
30.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kyoto
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$590 ¥93.6K
$427 ฿13.6K
38.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$342 ¥54.3K
$241 ฿7,697
42.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,685 ¥267.3K
$811 ฿25.9K
107.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$938 ¥148.8K
$498 ฿15.9K
88.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,022 ฿64.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,524 ฿48.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kyoto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,871 ¥296.7K
$639 ฿20.4K
192.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.78
5
-64.40%

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

Last update for Kyoto: April 14, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

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

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