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

😐 Solo nomad: Sendai is 27% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 44.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sendai is 36.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 34.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sendai
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.76 ¥971
$2.02 ฿65.3
234.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.4 ¥4,942
$18.78 ฿608
83.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.96 ¥713
$7.67 ฿248
-35.33%
Cappuccino
$3.96 ¥569
$1.98 ฿64.2
100.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 ¥227
$0.82 ฿26.64
92.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 ¥113
$0.33 ฿10.58
139.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.45 ¥495
$2.12 ฿68.6
62.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ¥500
$3.73 ฿121
-6.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sendai
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 ¥207
$1.64 ฿53.2
-12.20%
White Bread (500g)
$1.18 ¥169
$1.57 ฿50.9
-24.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.91 ¥561
$1.19 ฿38.62
228.57%
Eggs
$1.79 ¥257
$1.98 ฿64.1
-9.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.22 ¥1,468
$15.99 ฿517
-36.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.44 ¥1,069
$3.12 ฿101
138.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.7 ¥1,393
$11.16 ฿361
-13.08%
Apples (1kg)
$5.55 ¥798
$2.76 ฿89.2
101.09%
Banana (1kg)
$2.2 ¥315
$1.22 ฿39.5
80.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.9 ¥704
$1.71 ฿55.4
186.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.7 ¥532
$1.55 ฿50.2
138.71%
Potato (1kg)
$2.52 ¥363
$1.34 ฿43.21
88.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 ¥283
$1.21 ฿39.23
62.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.16 ¥166
$0.72 ฿23.2
61.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 ¥106
$0.53 ฿17.05
39.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.91 ¥705
$4.72 ฿153
4.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ¥1,102
$18.39 ฿595
-58.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.16 ¥310
$1.79 ฿57.9
20.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ¥400
$3.21 ฿104
-13.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Sendai
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.77 ¥254
$0.94 ฿30.44
88.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.43 ¥7,101
$18.9 ฿612
161.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 ¥774
$1.42 ฿46.08
279.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.36 ¥195
$1.35 ฿43.53
0.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.82 ¥2,847
$7.85 ฿254
152.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 ¥171
$1.25 ฿40.4
-4.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.9K ¥3M
$21.2K ฿684.9K
-1.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.1K ¥4M
$21.8K ฿706.8K
28.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sendai
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$175 ¥25.2K
$70.6 ฿2,285
148.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.11 ¥3,320
$13.72 ฿444
68.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.82 ¥4,571
$17.56 ฿568
81.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sendai
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.8 ¥7,735
$41.64 ฿1,347
29.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.7 ¥1,967
$6.9 ฿223
98.55%
Cinema Ticket
$12.3 ¥1,767
$5.8 ฿188
112.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sendai
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$320 ¥46K
$308 ฿9,963
3.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,267 ¥900.3K
$14.7K ฿475.8K
-57.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sendai
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.6 ¥8,844
$55.4 ฿1,793
11.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.85 ¥5,725
$26.4 ฿854
50.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$51 ¥7,328
$85.1 ฿2,755
-40.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.4 ¥10.8K
$71.8 ฿2,323
5.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sendai
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$452 ¥65K
$434 ฿14K
4.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$330 ¥47.4K
$235 ฿7,610
40.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$836 ¥120K
$821 ฿26.6K
1.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$616 ¥88.6K
$498 ฿16.1K
23.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,209 ¥317.3K
$2,180 ฿70.6K
1.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,251 ¥179.7K
$1,543 ฿49.9K
-18.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sendai
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,515 ¥217.6K
$703 ฿22.8K
115.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3
5
-40.00%

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

Last update for Sendai: October 27, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

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