Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Saitama is 18.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 32.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Saitama is 26% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 39.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saitama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.73 ¥904
$2.03 ฿64.2
182.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.62 ¥5,459
$18.59 ฿588
86.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.83 ¥762
$7.48 ฿237
-35.43%
Cappuccino
$3.20 ¥504
$2.00 ฿63.2
60.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 ¥117
$0.85 ฿26.81
-12.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ¥114
$0.35 ฿11.13
108.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.12 ¥334
$2.21 ฿70.0
-4.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 ¥488
$3.76 ฿119
-17.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saitama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 ¥236
$1.72 ฿54.4
-13.37%
White Bread (500g)
$1.67 ¥263
$1.63 ฿51.7
2.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.95 ¥466
$1.16 ฿36.66
154.31%
Eggs
$2.19 ¥346
$1.98 ฿62.6
10.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.17 ¥1,605
$15.93 ฿504
-36.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.07 ¥957
$3.17 ฿100
91.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.45 ¥2,437
$10.90 ฿345
41.74%
Apples (1kg)
$6.03 ¥950
$2.65 ฿83.7
127.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ¥218
$1.22 ฿38.70
13.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.99 ¥629
$1.70 ฿53.7
134.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.99 ¥944
$1.59 ฿50.3
276.73%
Potato (1kg)
$3.24 ¥510
$1.32 ฿41.90
145.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.75 ¥276
$1.17 ฿36.99
49.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.39 ¥219
$0.68 ฿21.46
104.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 ¥128
$0.56 ฿17.64
44.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.13 ¥651
$4.51 ฿143
-8.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.82 ¥1,390
$19.07 ฿604
-53.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 ¥285
$1.77 ฿56.0
2.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ¥324
$3.18 ฿101
-35.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Saitama
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.69 ¥267
$0.96 ฿30.47
76.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.2 ¥8,859
$18.90 ฿598
197.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 ¥541
$1.36 ฿42.98
152.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.97 ¥468
$1.35 ฿42.80
120.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.94 ¥3,460
$8.03 ฿254
173.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 ¥186
$1.24 ฿39.34
-4.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K ¥3.7M
$21.2K ฿669.8K
10.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.4K ¥2.9M
$21.8K ฿688.5K
-15.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saitama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 ¥22.8K
$71.2 ฿2,255
102.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.09 ¥3,168
$14.09 ฿446
42.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.59 ¥5,455
$17.47 ฿553
98.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saitama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$69.9 ¥11.0K
$42.07 ฿1,332
66.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.77 ¥2,172
$6.88 ฿218
100.15%
Cinema Ticket
$12.08 ¥1,905
$5.94 ฿188
103.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saitama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$283 ¥44.6K
$307 ฿9,728
-7.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.0K ¥2.2M
$14.8K ฿468.2K
-5.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saitama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.78 ¥5,959
$55.7 ฿1,762
-32.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.92 ¥4,404
$26.79 ฿848
4.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$60.3 ¥9,505
$83.2 ฿2,634
-27.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.7 ¥11.0K
$70.1 ฿2,219
-0.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saitama
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$428 ¥67.5K
$427 ฿13.5K
0.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$258 ¥40.7K
$237 ฿7,504
8.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$871 ¥137.4K
$802 ฿25.4K
8.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 ¥105.9K
$503 ฿15.9K
33.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,443 ¥858.5K
$2,061 ฿65.2K
164.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,533 ฿48.5K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saitama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,541 ¥243.0K
$654 ฿20.7K
135.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.86
5
-62.80%

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

Last update for Saitama: March 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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