Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okayama and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $979 in Okayama, rent and utilities included – about $520 less a year. The total is higher in Okayama despite lower rent and utilities.

47

Cost of Living Index in Okayama
Learn more

Okayama Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Okayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$979

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $979 per month in Okayama vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Okayama $979
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,575 per month in Okayama vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Okayama $1,575
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,171 per month in Okayama vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Okayama $2,171
Chiang Mai $1,979

Okayama costs about 5% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Okayama and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Okayama 28% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.97 ¥942

$2.24 ฿75.6

166.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.17 ¥3,969

$19.00 ฿641

32.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 ¥795

$5.55 ฿187

-9.19%

Cappuccino

$1.74 ¥274

$1.67 ฿56.5

4.19%

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

$0.69 ¥109

$0.64 ฿21.55

7.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥109

$0.31 ฿10.31

122.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 ¥305

$2.36 ฿79.6

-17.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥305

$3.66 ฿124

-47.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥215

$1.95 ฿65.8

-30.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 ¥97.5

$1.44 ฿48.48

-56.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.09 ¥645

$1.33 ฿45.04

207.52%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥244

$2.28 ฿77.1

-32.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.16 ¥2,390

$16.45 ฿555

-7.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.43 ¥1,013

$2.78 ฿93.9

131.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 ¥2,686

$9.31 ฿314

82.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ¥796

$2.35 ฿79.4

114.89%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 ¥489

$0.97 ฿32.80

219.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.02 ¥791

$1.60 ฿53.9

213.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 ¥690

$1.50 ฿50.6

192.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 ¥342

$1.28 ฿43.12

69.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ¥304

$1.10 ฿37.19

75.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥186

$0.71 ฿23.82

66.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥105

$0.49 ฿16.37

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥595

$4.14 ฿140

-8.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.29 ¥1,465

$17.52 ฿591

-46.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥297

$1.61 ฿54.5

17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥293

$2.78 ฿94.0

-33.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ¥224

$0.87 ฿29.31

63.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.3 ¥9,036

$54.1 ฿1,826

5.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 ¥504

$1.16 ฿39.06

175.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.60 ¥409

$0.53 ฿17.80

390.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.53 ¥3,394

$2.42 ฿81.8

789.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 ¥158

$1.45 ฿48.90

-31.03%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

4.06%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-42.86%

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

$71.5 ¥11.3K

$62.2 ฿2,098

15.06%

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

$13.73 ¥2,165

$12.17 ฿411

12.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.75 ¥4,060

$20.12 ฿679

27.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ¥8,234

$37.31 ฿1,259

39.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 ¥1,781

$6.49 ฿219

73.96%

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

$708 ¥111.6K

$736 ฿24.8K

-3.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-1.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 ¥7,918

$53.4 ฿1,801

-5.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.57 ¥5,609

$24.64 ฿831

44.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ¥9,620

$91.5 ฿3,087

-33.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.0 ¥15.3K

$71.9 ฿2,428

34.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.3K

$482 ฿16.3K

-31.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ¥29.9K

$309 ฿10.4K

-38.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 ¥101.0K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-36.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$430 ¥67.8K

$633 ฿21.4K

-32.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,651 ¥575.7K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

54.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,539 ¥400.3K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

59.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,366 ¥215.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

131.62%

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 Okayama: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okayama

$312 31.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 24.8% $77

Accommodation & Living

Okayama

$190 19.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 62.7% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okayama

$111 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 14.9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Okayama

$110 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 1% $1.1

Eating Out

Okayama

$103 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 24.6% $25

Getting Around

Okayama

$79 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 22.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Okayama

$75 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 32.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $332 in Okayama 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 Okayama are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Okayama versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okayama

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

2 h behind Okayama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

719,474

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Okayama Chiang Mai 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Okayama
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

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

Okayama costs about 5% 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 $1,469 per month in Okayama 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 Okayama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $332 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $708 per month in Okayama 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 33% more in Okayama, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $979 in Okayama 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 $979 in Okayama. 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, Okayama makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.