Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Niigata and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Niigata: $728 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Niigata
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Niigata Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Niigata

🇯🇵 Japan

$728

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $728 per month in Niigata vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Niigata $728
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,106 per month in Niigata vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Niigata $1,106
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,485 per month in Niigata vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Niigata $1,485
Chiang Mai $1,979

Niigata is about 22% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Niigata and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Niigata 47% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.43 ¥1,013

$2.24 ฿75.6

187.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.74 ¥2,795

$19.00 ฿641

-6.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 ¥791

$5.55 ฿187

-9.55%

Cappuccino

$2.68 ¥422

$1.67 ฿56.5

60.48%

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

$1.10 ¥174

$0.64 ฿21.54

71.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥123

$0.31 ฿10.31

151.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ¥398

$2.36 ฿79.5

7.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ¥437

$3.66 ฿124

-24.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥192

$1.95 ฿65.7

-37.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ¥152

$1.44 ฿48.46

-32.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ¥392

$1.33 ฿45.03

87.22%

Eggs

$2.26 ¥356

$2.28 ฿77.1

-0.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ¥1,167

$16.45 ฿555

-54.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 ¥1,062

$2.78 ฿93.9

142.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.47 ¥2,595

$9.31 ฿314

76.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 ¥506

$2.35 ฿79.4

36.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥206

$0.97 ฿32.79

35.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$1.60 ฿53.9

59.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 ¥352

$1.50 ฿50.6

48.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥306

$1.28 ฿43.11

51.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ¥304

$1.10 ฿37.18

75.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ¥146

$0.71 ฿23.82

29.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥94.4

$0.49 ฿16.36

22.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥606

$4.14 ฿140

-7.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.31 ¥679

$17.52 ฿591

-75.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥264

$1.61 ฿54.5

4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥293

$2.78 ฿93.9

-33.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ¥207

$0.87 ฿29.30

50.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 ¥415

$1.16 ฿39.04

126.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 ¥509

$0.53 ฿17.80

509.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.80 ¥2,962

$2.42 ฿81.7

676.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥165

$1.45 ฿48.88

-27.59%

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

$19.3K ¥3.0M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

-8.24%

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

$12.8K ¥2.0M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-52.31%

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

$147 ¥23.1K

$62.2 ฿2,098

135.64%

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

$23.08 ¥3,635

$12.17 ฿411

89.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.23 ¥3,975

$20.12 ฿679

25.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 ¥8,094

$37.31 ฿1,259

37.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.27 ¥988

$3.77 ฿127

66.31%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 ¥1,937

$6.49 ฿219

89.52%

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

$64.7 ¥10.2K

$736 ฿24.8K

-91.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥2.9M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

24.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.68 ¥4,991

$53.4 ฿1,801

-40.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.10 ¥5,214

$24.64 ฿831

34.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.84 ¥6,118

$91.5 ฿3,087

-57.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.7 ¥10.2K

$71.9 ฿2,427

-10.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 ¥55.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

-27.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,272 ¥200.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

115.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.48

5.57

-73.43%

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

Last update for Niigata: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Niigata

$233 32%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 0.7% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Niigata

$195 26.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 51.5% $100

Eating Out

Niigata

$124 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 37.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Niigata

$76 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 33.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Niigata

$76 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 43.4% $33

Getting Around

Niigata

$24 * 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 155% $37

Accommodation & Living

Niigata

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $351 in Niigata 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 Niigata are about 2.2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Niigata versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $234 – making Niigata the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Niigata

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

22:27 10:27 PM

2 h behind Niigata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

811,639

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Niigata Chiang Mai 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Niigata
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Niigata, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,092 per month in Niigata 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 Niigata, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $351 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $728 in Niigata and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Niigata about 22% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Niigata and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $728 in Niigata and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Niigata costs $728 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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