Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagano and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,231 in Nagano, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Nagano
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Nagano Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nagano

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,231

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,231 per month in Nagano vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nagano $1,231
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,891 per month in Nagano vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nagano $1,891
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,550 per month in Nagano vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nagano $2,550
Chiang Mai $1,903

Nagano costs about 33% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nagano and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Nagano 9% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 ¥1,019

$2.29 ฿76.5

181.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.32 ¥6,370

$19.64 ฿656

105.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ¥810

$5.61 ฿188

-8.56%

Cappuccino

$3.37 ¥532

$1.66 ฿55.6

103.01%

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

$1.06 ¥167

$0.70 ฿23.40

51.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.31 ฿10.24

158.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ¥409

$2.41 ฿80.4

7.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ¥483

$3.71 ฿124

-17.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥228

$1.95 ฿65.3

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥260

$1.41 ฿47.03

16.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 ¥564

$1.31 ฿43.62

172.52%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥315

$2.18 ฿72.9

-8.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.32 ¥1,630

$16.65 ฿556

-38.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 ¥975

$2.76 ฿92.2

123.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.40 ¥2,275

$9.11 ฿304

58.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 ¥919

$2.39 ฿80.0

143.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ¥425

$1.03 ฿34.26

161.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 ¥448

$1.63 ฿54.4

74.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 ¥642

$1.50 ฿50.0

170.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥396

$1.29 ฿43.13

93.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ¥401

$1.11 ฿37.03

128.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ¥197

$0.72 ฿24.08

73.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥121

$0.53 ฿17.59

43.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.68 ¥582

$4.31 ฿144

-14.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.21 ¥982

$17.95 ฿600

-65.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥287

$1.58 ฿52.9

15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥317

$2.84 ฿95.0

-29.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ¥207

$0.86 ฿28.86

52.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.2 ¥8,082

$53.3 ฿1,780

-3.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ¥501

$1.21 ฿40.29

161.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 ¥427

$0.57 ฿18.99

373.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.17 ¥3,187

$2.35 ฿78.6

758.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.44 ฿47.96

-27.08%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

4.18%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-42.26%

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

$130 ¥20.6K

$62.3 ฿2,083

108.81%

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

$23.91 ¥3,778

$12.11 ฿405

97.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.76 ¥2,016

$19.94 ฿666

-36.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 ¥8,387

$37.07 ฿1,239

43.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$12.71 ¥2,008

$6.50 ฿217

95.54%

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

$622 ¥98.3K

$793 ฿26.5K

-21.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

0.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ¥9,759

$53.7 ฿1,796

14.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.29 ¥5,733

$24.62 ฿823

47.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.0 ¥9,797

$90.9 ฿3,036

-31.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ¥15.8K

$71.1 ฿2,378

40.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 ¥88.0K

$455 ฿15.2K

22.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ¥59.2K

$298 ฿9,954

25.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 ¥180.4K

$908 ฿30.4K

25.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ¥102.4K

$554 ฿18.5K

17.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,188 ¥661.7K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

116.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,974 ¥311.9K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

36.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$627 ¥99.0K

$591 ฿19.7K

6.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

5.57

-52.60%

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

Last update for Nagano: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nagano

$375 30.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 20.5% $77

Groceries & Markets

Nagano

$287 23.3%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 18% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagano

$167 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 43.4% $72

Eating Out

Nagano

$134 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 41.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Nagano

$117 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 7.7% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Nagano

$79 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 36.2% $28

Getting Around

Nagano

$73 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 16.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $557 in Nagano versus $455 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 run about 6% higher in Nagano, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Nagano versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagano

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:53 1:53 AM

23:53 11:53 PM

2 h behind Nagano

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

372,760

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Nagano Chiang Mai 4,300 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nagano
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

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

Nagano costs about 33% 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 $1,847 per month in Nagano and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $622 per month in Nagano and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Nagano, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Nagano at $1,231. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nagano it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,231 in Nagano. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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