Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagoya and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,375 in Nagoya, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Nagoya
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Nagoya Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nagoya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,375

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,375 per month in Nagoya vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nagoya $1,375
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,052 per month in Nagoya vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nagoya $2,052
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,730 per month in Nagoya vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nagoya $2,730
Chiang Mai $1,979

Nagoya costs about 47% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.58 ¥1,353

$2.24 ฿75.6

283.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.23 ¥5,083

$19.00 ฿641

69.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 ¥816

$5.55 ฿187

-6.67%

Cappuccino

$2.55 ¥403

$1.67 ฿56.5

52.69%

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

$1.26 ¥199

$0.64 ฿21.55

96.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥143

$0.31 ฿10.31

193.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 ¥490

$2.36 ฿79.6

31.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ¥485

$3.66 ฿124

-15.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.95 ฿65.8

-22.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥235

$1.44 ฿48.48

3.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 ¥666

$1.33 ฿45.04

217.29%

Eggs

$2.23 ¥352

$2.28 ฿77.1

-2.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 ¥2,531

$16.45 ฿555

-2.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 ¥1,079

$2.78 ฿93.9

146.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 ¥2,692

$9.31 ฿314

83.35%

Apples (1kg)

$8.56 ¥1,350

$2.35 ฿79.4

264.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 ¥478

$0.97 ฿32.80

212.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.98 ¥786

$1.60 ฿53.9

211.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.66 ¥1,208

$1.50 ฿50.6

410.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.97 ¥626

$1.28 ฿43.12

210.16%

Onion (1kg)

$4.72 ¥744

$1.10 ฿37.19

329.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥186

$0.71 ฿23.82

66.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.49 ฿16.37

91.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 ¥638

$4.14 ฿140

-2.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,533

$17.52 ฿591

-44.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 ¥395

$1.61 ฿54.5

55.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥345

$2.78 ฿94.0

-21.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$0.87 ฿29.31

55.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.2 ¥14.1K

$54.1 ฿1,826

64.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ¥496

$1.16 ฿39.06

171.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.87 ¥453

$0.53 ฿17.80

441.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.97 ¥2,518

$2.42 ฿81.8

559.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.45 ฿48.90

-23.45%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

2.38%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-44.00%

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

$114 ¥18.0K

$62.2 ฿2,098

83.88%

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

$23.77 ¥3,748

$12.17 ฿411

95.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.40 ¥4,951

$20.12 ฿679

56.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.67 ¥6,886

$37.31 ฿1,259

17.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.90 ¥2,191

$3.77 ฿127

268.70%

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 ¥1,986

$6.49 ฿219

93.99%

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

$687 ¥108.3K

$736 ฿24.8K

-6.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥2.3M

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-0.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 ¥8,075

$53.4 ฿1,801

-4.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.35 ¥5,574

$24.64 ฿831

43.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 ¥9,750

$91.5 ฿3,087

-32.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 ¥15.7K

$71.9 ฿2,428

38.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$558 ¥88.0K

$482 ฿16.3K

15.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 ¥60.7K

$309 ฿10.4K

24.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$937 ¥147.8K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-6.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$555 ¥87.5K

$633 ฿21.4K

-12.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,555 ¥560.5K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

50.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,971 ¥310.8K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

24.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,881 ¥296.6K

$590 ฿19.9K

218.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

5.57

-63.73%

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

Last update for Nagoya: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nagoya

$385 28%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 19.7% $76

Groceries & Markets

Nagoya

$382 27.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 38.7% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagoya

$169 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 44.3% $75

Eating Out

Nagoya

$145 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 46.6% $68

Getting Around

Nagoya

$112 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 45.3% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Nagoya

$112 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 2.8% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nagoya

$69 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $558 in Nagoya 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 Nagoya 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 Nagoya versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagoya

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:07 9:07 PM

19:07 7:07 PM

2 h behind Nagoya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,236,000

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 = 2.66 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 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Nagoya Chiang Mai 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nagoya
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

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

Nagoya costs about 47% 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 $2,062 per month in Nagoya 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 $558 in Nagoya.

Kindergarten costs $687 per month in Nagoya 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 63% more in Nagoya, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,375 in Nagoya 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 $1,375 in Nagoya. 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.

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