Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Naha and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,343 in Naha, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Naha
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Naha Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Naha

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,343

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,343 per month in Naha vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Naha $1,343
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,092 per month in Naha vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Naha $2,092
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,840 per month in Naha vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Naha $2,840
Chiang Mai $1,903

Naha costs about 45% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Naha and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Naha 1% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.12 ¥808

$2.29 ฿76.5

123.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.17 ¥4,767

$19.64 ฿656

53.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥821

$5.61 ฿188

-7.31%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ¥493

$1.66 ฿55.6

87.95%

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

$1.29 ¥203

$0.70 ฿23.40

84.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$0.31 ฿10.24

180.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ¥405

$2.41 ฿80.4

6.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 ¥619

$3.71 ฿124

5.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ¥247

$1.95 ฿65.3

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ¥327

$1.41 ฿47.03

46.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.87 ¥612

$1.31 ฿43.62

195.42%

Eggs

$1.74 ¥276

$2.18 ฿72.9

-20.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.91 ¥2,829

$16.65 ฿556

7.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.80 ¥758

$2.76 ฿92.2

73.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.38 ¥3,536

$9.11 ฿304

145.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 ¥580

$2.39 ฿80.0

53.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ¥425

$1.03 ฿34.26

161.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ¥351

$1.63 ฿54.4

36.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 ¥814

$1.50 ฿50.0

243.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$1.29 ฿43.13

85.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 ¥390

$1.11 ฿37.03

122.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$0.72 ฿24.08

72.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.53 ฿17.59

49.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥613

$4.31 ฿144

-9.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.28 ¥992

$17.95 ฿600

-65.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥304

$1.58 ฿52.9

21.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥510

$2.84 ฿95.0

13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥626

$1.21 ฿40.29

227.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.40 ¥537

$0.57 ฿18.99

496.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.52 ¥1,820

$2.35 ฿78.6

390.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.44 ฿47.96

-26.39%

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

$21.0K ¥3.3M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

1.07%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-42.31%

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

$96.0 ¥15.2K

$62.3 ฿2,083

54.05%

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

$24.81 ¥3,919

$12.11 ฿405

104.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 ¥8,305

$19.94 ฿666

163.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$12.17 ¥1,922

$6.50 ฿217

87.23%

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

$329 ¥52.0K

$793 ฿26.5K

-58.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,565 ¥879.2K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-62.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.25 ¥7,782

$53.7 ฿1,796

-8.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.99 ¥3,632

$24.62 ฿823

-6.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 ¥12.4K

$90.9 ฿3,036

-13.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 ¥15.2K

$71.1 ฿2,378

35.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 ¥113.3K

$455 ฿15.2K

57.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 ¥88.8K

$298 ฿9,954

88.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 ¥183.0K

$908 ฿30.4K

27.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 ¥179.8K

$554 ฿18.5K

105.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,337 ¥211.2K

$591 ฿19.7K

126.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

5.57

-59.96%

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

Last update for Naha: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Naha

$562 41.9%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 47% $264

Groceries & Markets

Naha

$328 24.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 28.2% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Naha

$173 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 45.6% $79

Eating Out

Naha

$123 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 36.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Naha

$111 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 2.8% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Naha

$24 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 106% $26

Getting Around

Naha

$21 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 190% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $717 in Naha 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 126% higher in Naha, 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 $30.00 in Naha versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Naha

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

2 h behind Naha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

317,625

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

Naha Chiang Mai 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Naha
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

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

Naha costs about 45% 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 $2,015 per month in Naha 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Naha and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Naha, 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 Naha at $1,343. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Naha it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,343 in Naha. 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, Naha makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.