Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sagamihara and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,257 in Sagamihara, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sagamihara
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Sagamihara Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sagamihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,257

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,257 per month in Sagamihara vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sagamihara $1,257
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,021 per month in Sagamihara vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sagamihara $2,021
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Sagamihara vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sagamihara $2,785
Chiang Mai $1,914

Sagamihara costs about 34% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sagamihara and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sagamihara 7% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.53 ¥1,348

$2.26 ฿75.4

277.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.01 ¥5,057

$19.18 ฿641

66.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥775

$5.59 ฿187

-12.16%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ¥389

$1.72 ฿57.6

43.02%

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

$1.23 ¥195

$0.64 ฿21.54

92.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥135

$0.33 ฿11.18

160.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 ¥492

$2.36 ฿78.7

31.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ¥486

$3.90 ฿130

-21.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 ¥147

$2.05 ฿68.6

-54.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 ¥97.4

$1.40 ฿46.70

-55.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 ¥660

$1.28 ฿42.89

226.56%

Eggs

$1.83 ¥290

$2.25 ฿75.3

-18.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.74 ¥2,486

$16.94 ฿566

-7.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 ¥1,099

$2.74 ฿91.6

154.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.26 ¥2,727

$9.36 ฿313

84.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ¥358

$2.40 ฿80.3

-5.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ¥252

$1.01 ฿33.92

58.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.02 ¥794

$1.61 ฿53.9

211.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.96 ¥1,257

$1.52 ฿50.7

423.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ¥616

$1.28 ฿42.90

204.69%

Onion (1kg)

$4.74 ¥749

$1.11 ฿37.22

327.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ¥178

$0.72 ฿24.09

56.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 ¥67.1

$0.52 ฿17.54

-19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 ¥629

$4.33 ฿145

-8.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 ¥1,515

$17.73 ฿593

-45.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 ¥412

$1.63 ฿54.4

60.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥337

$2.85 ฿95.3

-25.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 ¥209

$0.85 ฿28.31

55.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.24 ¥7,463

$53.9 ฿1,801

-12.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ¥488

$1.17 ฿39.18

164.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 ¥444

$0.57 ฿19.00

392.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.55 ¥2,457

$2.37 ฿79.2

556.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.45 ฿48.32

-26.90%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

4.51%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-43.13%

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

$117 ¥18.5K

$62.3 ฿2,083

88.30%

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

$23.13 ¥3,654

$12.27 ฿410

88.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.04 ¥4,904

$19.97 ฿668

55.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ¥9,172

$37.91 ฿1,267

53.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ¥1,790

$6.71 ฿224

68.85%

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

$580 ¥91.6K

$797 ฿26.6K

-27.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-2.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.53 ¥7,826

$53.3 ฿1,780

-6.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.82 ¥5,659

$25.05 ฿837

42.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 ¥9,695

$91.6 ฿3,062

-33.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 ¥15.4K

$73.5 ฿2,455

32.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$468 ¥73.9K

$464 ฿15.5K

0.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥57.1K

$305 ฿10.2K

18.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 ¥169.7K

$915 ฿30.6K

17.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 ¥133.5K

$552 ฿18.5K

52.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,844 ¥765.3K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

153.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,779 ¥281.0K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

23.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

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 Sagamihara: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sagamihara

$362 28.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 15.7% $57

Groceries & Markets

Sagamihara

$321 25.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 25.9% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sagamihara

$172 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 44.9% $77

Eating Out

Sagamihara

$143 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 44.6% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Sagamihara

$110 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sagamihara

$81 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 36.4% $29

Getting Around

Sagamihara

$70 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 12% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $468 in Sagamihara versus $464 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Sagamihara versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $321 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Sagamihara

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

20:22 8:22 PM

2 h behind Sagamihara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

725,493

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 19, 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 19, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Sagamihara Chiang Mai 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sagamihara
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

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

Sagamihara costs about 34% 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 $1,886 per month in Sagamihara and $1,408 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 $580 per month in Sagamihara and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Sagamihara, 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 $938, than in Sagamihara at $1,257. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sagamihara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,257 in Sagamihara. 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, Sagamihara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.