Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagasaki and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,287 in Nagasaki, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Nagasaki
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Nagasaki Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,287

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,287 per month in Nagasaki vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nagasaki $1,287
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,907 per month in Nagasaki vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nagasaki $1,907
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,527 per month in Nagasaki vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nagasaki $2,527
Chiang Mai $1,979

Nagasaki costs about 38% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.03 ¥793

$2.24 ฿75.6

124.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.07 ¥3,007

$19.00 ฿641

0.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥803

$5.55 ฿187

-8.11%

Cappuccino

$3.63 ¥572

$1.67 ฿56.5

117.37%

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

$1.04 ¥164

$0.64 ฿21.55

62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$0.31 ฿10.31

145.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 ¥341

$2.36 ฿79.6

-8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥356

$3.66 ฿124

-38.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.95 ฿65.8

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥291

$1.44 ฿48.48

27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.21 ¥980

$1.33 ฿45.04

366.92%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$2.28 ฿77.1

-10.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 ¥1,477

$16.45 ฿555

-43.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ¥506

$2.78 ฿93.9

15.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.33 ¥3,048

$9.31 ฿314

107.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 ¥561

$2.35 ฿79.4

51.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 ¥288

$0.97 ฿32.80

88.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 ¥454

$1.60 ฿53.9

80.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 ¥514

$1.50 ฿50.6

117.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ¥353

$1.28 ฿43.12

75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 ¥418

$1.10 ฿37.19

140.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ¥163

$0.71 ฿23.82

46.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ¥153

$0.49 ฿16.37

97.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥609

$4.14 ฿140

-6.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.50 ¥1,025

$17.52 ฿591

-62.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥269

$1.61 ฿54.5

6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥292

$2.78 ฿94.0

-33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 ¥200

$0.87 ฿29.31

45.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.4 ¥8,898

$54.1 ฿1,826

4.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 ¥649

$1.16 ฿39.06

255.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 ¥378

$0.53 ฿17.80

352.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.66 ¥2,785

$2.42 ฿81.8

629.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ¥170

$1.45 ฿48.90

-25.52%

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

$22.8K ¥3.6M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

8.34%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-42.61%

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

$215 ¥33.8K

$62.2 ฿2,098

245.25%

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

$24.77 ¥3,906

$12.17 ฿411

103.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.03 ¥5,208

$20.12 ฿679

64.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ¥8,251

$37.31 ฿1,259

40.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 ¥1,997

$6.49 ฿219

95.07%

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

$706 ¥111.3K

$736 ฿24.8K

-4.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-15.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.40 ¥7,632

$53.4 ฿1,801

-9.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.87 ¥4,079

$24.64 ฿831

4.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.7 ¥10.7K

$91.5 ฿3,087

-25.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.74 ¥7,370

$71.9 ฿2,428

-35.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 ¥86.7K

$482 ฿16.3K

14.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ¥59.0K

$309 ฿10.4K

21.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 ¥171.1K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

7.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 ¥117.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

17.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,205 ¥663.0K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

77.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,287 ¥360.6K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

43.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Nagasaki: 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

Nagasaki

$374 29.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 17.4% $65

Groceries & Markets

Nagasaki

$279 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 15.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagasaki

$272 21.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 65.3% $178

Eating Out

Nagasaki

$122 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 36.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Nagasaki

$85 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 27.9% $24

Getting Around

Nagasaki

$78 6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 20.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nagasaki

$78 6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $550 in Nagasaki 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 $19 in Nagasaki versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $279 in Nagasaki vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagasaki

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

2 h behind Nagasaki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

409,118

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Nagasaki Chiang Mai 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nagasaki
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

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

Nagasaki costs about 38% 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 $1,931 per month in Nagasaki 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 $550 in Nagasaki.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Nagasaki, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,287 in Nagasaki 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 $1,287 in Nagasaki. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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