Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Morioka and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,189 in Morioka, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Morioka
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Morioka Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Morioka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,189

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,189 per month in Morioka vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Morioka $1,189
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,898 per month in Morioka vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Morioka $1,898
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,607 per month in Morioka vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Morioka $2,607
Chiang Mai $1,979

Morioka costs about 27% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Morioka and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Morioka 13% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.22 ¥980

$2.24 ฿75.6

177.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.27 ¥5,082

$19.00 ฿641

69.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥812

$5.55 ฿187

-7.21%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ¥481

$1.67 ฿56.5

83.23%

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

$1.14 ¥180

$0.64 ฿21.54

78.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥127

$0.31 ฿10.31

158.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 ¥414

$2.36 ฿79.5

11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥510

$3.66 ฿124

-11.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥231

$1.95 ฿65.7

-24.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥243

$1.44 ฿48.46

6.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 ¥642

$1.33 ฿45.03

206.77%

Eggs

$2.13 ¥335

$2.28 ฿77.1

-6.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 ¥1,565

$16.45 ฿555

-39.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.45 ¥1,173

$2.78 ฿93.9

167.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.63 ¥2,620

$9.31 ฿314

78.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 ¥634

$2.35 ฿79.4

71.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 ¥328

$0.97 ฿32.79

114.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 ¥478

$1.60 ฿53.9

89.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 ¥751

$1.50 ฿50.6

218.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 ¥437

$1.28 ฿43.11

117.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 ¥430

$1.10 ฿37.18

148.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ¥209

$0.71 ฿23.82

87.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥144

$0.49 ฿16.36

85.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ¥562

$4.14 ฿140

-13.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 ¥1,074

$17.52 ฿591

-61.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥264

$1.61 ฿54.5

3.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 ¥377

$2.78 ฿93.9

-14.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$0.87 ฿29.30

68.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.6 ¥9,065

$54.1 ฿1,825

6.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥510

$1.16 ฿39.04

179.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 ¥490

$0.53 ฿17.80

486.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.05 ¥3,001

$2.42 ฿81.7

687.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.45 ฿48.88

-26.90%

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

$19.0K ¥3.0M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

-9.63%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-42.56%

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

$137 ¥21.6K

$62.2 ฿2,098

120.17%

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

$23.86 ¥3,759

$12.17 ฿411

96.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 ¥4,910

$20.12 ฿679

54.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 ¥7,956

$37.31 ฿1,259

35.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$13.62 ¥2,146

$6.49 ฿219

109.86%

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

$759 ¥119.5K

$736 ฿24.8K

3.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-8.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.09 ¥6,787

$53.4 ฿1,801

-19.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.59 ¥4,976

$24.64 ฿831

28.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.6 ¥11.0K

$91.5 ฿3,087

-23.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.0K

$71.9 ฿2,427

41.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ¥98.6K

$482 ฿16.3K

29.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 ¥47.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

-3.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$916 ¥144.4K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-8.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 ¥111.3K

$633 ฿21.4K

11.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,709 ¥741.7K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

99.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,118 ¥333.6K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

33.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

5.57

-60.32%

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

Last update for Morioka: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Morioka

$300 25.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 3.1% $9.3

Groceries & Markets

Morioka

$297 25%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 21.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Morioka

$192 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 50.8% $97

Eating Out

Morioka

$129 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 40% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Morioka

$111 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 1.9% $2.1

Getting Around

Morioka

$82 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 25.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Morioka

$78 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $626 in Morioka 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Morioka versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Morioka

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

00:26 12:26 AM

2 h behind Morioka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

289,731

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 1, 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 1, 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 →

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Between locations

Morioka Chiang Mai 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Morioka
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

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

Morioka costs about 27% 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 $1,783 per month in Morioka 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 $626 in Morioka.

Kindergarten costs $759 per month in Morioka 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 27% more in Morioka, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,189 in Morioka and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 21% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.