Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,399 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,399

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,399 per month in Okinawa vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Okinawa $1,399
Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $2,189 per month in Okinawa vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Okinawa $2,189
Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $2,979 per month in Okinawa vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Okinawa $2,979
Chiang Mai $1,864

Okinawa costs about 54% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Okinawa sits 4% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 ¥1,602

$2.13 ฿71.7

375.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.78 ¥6,288

$19.40 ฿652

105.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,112

$5.47 ฿184

28.70%

Cappuccino

$4.26 ¥674

$1.68 ฿56.7

153.57%

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

$1.47 ¥233

$0.66 ฿22.19

122.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 ¥158

$0.34 ฿11.56

194.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ¥318

$2.42 ฿81.3

-16.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ¥719

$3.73 ฿126

21.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ¥258

$2.06 ฿69.2

-20.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ¥340

$1.46 ฿48.98

47.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 ¥606

$1.35 ฿45.27

184.44%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥277

$2.27 ฿76.3

-22.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.94 ¥2,835

$16.31 ฿548

9.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 ¥770

$2.70 ฿90.7

80.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.16 ¥3,503

$9.20 ฿309

140.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥572

$2.39 ฿80.5

51.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$1.04 ฿34.80

152.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥338

$1.60 ฿53.9

33.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥819

$1.44 ฿48.57

259.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 ¥380

$1.30 ฿43.77

85.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$1.11 ฿37.45

132.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 ¥207

$0.70 ฿23.65

87.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$0.51 ฿17.06

45.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$4.13 ฿139

-3.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 ¥1,015

$17.78 ฿598

-63.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥295

$1.63 ฿54.9

14.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥504

$2.87 ฿96.4

11.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$0.86 ฿28.88

70.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 ¥10.6K

$53.2 ฿1,787

26.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 ¥627

$1.22 ฿40.99

225.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.56 ¥563

$0.56 ฿18.89

535.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,808

$2.31 ฿77.8

395.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.50 ฿50.4

-27.33%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$20.9K ฿701.2K

1.89%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$26.7K ฿898.8K

-42.37%

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

$162 ¥25.6K

$61.3 ฿2,059

164.35%

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

$24.91 ¥3,938

$12.50 ฿420

99.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 ¥8,503

$20.36 ฿685

164.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.3 ¥11.3K

$37.94 ฿1,275

88.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,679

$3.77 ฿127

1356.50%

Cinema Ticket

$12.17 ¥1,924

$6.60 ฿222

84.39%

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

$329 ¥52.0K

$774 ฿26.0K

-57.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 ¥875.3K

$14.4K ฿485.3K

-61.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 ¥7,913

$54.8 ฿1,842

-8.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.29 ¥3,681

$25.26 ฿849

-7.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 ¥12.5K

$90.6 ฿3,045

-13.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 ¥14.9K

$73.3 ฿2,463

29.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 ¥63.9K

$459 ฿15.4K

-11.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$294 ฿9,877

11.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 ¥130.5K

$919 ฿30.9K

-10.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 ¥104.8K

$552 ฿18.6K

20.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,594 ¥1.4M

$1,917 ฿64.5K

348.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,206 ¥190.6K

$1,445 ฿48.6K

-16.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,849 ¥292.3K

$592 ฿19.9K

212.20%

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 Okinawa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 28.1% $92

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 10.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 60.9% $147

Eating Out

Okinawa

$182 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 57.6% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$111 8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 1.1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 46.6% $45

Getting Around

Okinawa

$95 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 36.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $404 in Okinawa versus $459 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 212% higher in Okinawa, 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 $40.00 in Okinawa versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

17:40 5:40 PM

2 h behind Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.65 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 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

Okinawa Chiang Mai 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Okinawa
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

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

Okinawa costs about 54% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,098 per month in Okinawa and $1,359 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.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Okinawa and $774 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Okinawa, 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 $906, than in Okinawa at $1,399. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Okinawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $1,399 in Okinawa. 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, Okinawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.