Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sendai and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,164 in Sendai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
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Sendai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,164

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,164 per month in Sendai vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sendai $1,164
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,851 per month in Sendai vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sendai $1,851
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,538 per month in Sendai vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sendai $2,538
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sendai costs about 24% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sendai and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sendai 14% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 ¥1,013

$2.24 ฿75.5

186.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.25 ¥5,566

$19.00 ฿640

85.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.57 ¥722

$5.55 ฿187

-17.66%

Cappuccino

$3.79 ¥598

$1.67 ฿56.4

126.95%

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

$1.03 ¥162

$0.64 ฿21.51

60.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.31 ฿10.29

154.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 ¥307

$2.36 ฿79.5

-17.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 ¥514

$3.66 ฿123

-10.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 ¥225

$1.95 ฿65.7

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ¥231

$1.44 ฿48.41

1.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.88 ¥1,087

$1.33 ฿44.97

417.29%

Eggs

$2.12 ¥335

$2.28 ฿77.0

-7.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ¥1,682

$16.45 ฿554

-35.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.63 ¥1,836

$2.78 ฿93.8

318.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.78 ¥1,386

$9.31 ฿314

-5.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 ¥538

$2.35 ฿79.3

45.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 ¥335

$0.97 ฿32.75

118.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.65 ¥734

$1.60 ฿53.8

190.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ¥510

$1.50 ฿50.6

115.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 ¥390

$1.28 ฿43.06

92.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 ¥363

$1.10 ฿37.14

109.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 ¥219

$0.71 ฿23.79

95.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ¥201

$0.49 ฿16.34

159.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥696

$4.14 ฿140

6.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.84 ¥1,080

$17.52 ฿590

-60.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥260

$1.61 ฿54.4

1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥435

$2.78 ฿93.8

-0.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥238

$0.87 ฿29.27

73.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.91 ¥5,986

$54.1 ฿1,823

-29.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 ¥839

$1.16 ฿39.00

358.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.16 ¥2,868

$2.42 ฿81.6

650.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.45 ฿48.82

-23.45%

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

$16.1K ¥2.5M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

-23.37%

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

$25.4K ¥4.0M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-5.86%

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

$137 ¥21.6K

$62.2 ฿2,095

119.67%

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

$29.82 ¥4,708

$12.17 ฿410

145.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.46 ¥5,599

$20.12 ฿678

76.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.05 ¥7,113

$37.31 ฿1,257

20.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.76 ¥2,015

$3.77 ฿127

238.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 ¥1,608

$6.49 ฿219

56.86%

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

$230 ¥36.4K

$736 ฿24.8K

-68.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,740 ¥590.6K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-74.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 ¥8,884

$53.4 ฿1,799

5.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.48 ¥5,287

$24.64 ฿830

35.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$34.73 ¥5,484

$91.5 ฿3,083

-62.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.4 ¥8,435

$71.9 ฿2,424

-25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$573 ¥90.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

18.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.7K

$309 ฿10.4K

6.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$707 ¥111.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-29.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 ¥116.2K

$633 ฿21.3K

16.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ¥428.3K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

14.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ¥227.1K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-9.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$979 ¥154.6K

$590 ฿19.9K

65.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.73

5.57

-50.99%

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

Last update for Sendai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sendai

$328 28.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 5.7% $19

Groceries & Markets

Sendai

$306 26.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 23.4% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sendai

$202 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 53.2% $107

Eating Out

Sendai

$134 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 42.1% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Sendai

$80 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Sendai

$65 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 23.1% $15

Getting Around

Sendai

$49 * 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 24.5% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $573 in Sendai 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 run about 66% higher in Sendai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Sendai versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $306 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Sendai

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

2 h behind Sendai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,082,159

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 November 3, 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sendai Chiang Mai 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sendai
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

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

Sendai costs about 24% 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 $1,747 per month in Sendai 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $573 in Sendai.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Sendai 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 31% more in Sendai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,164 in Sendai and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,164 in Sendai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Sendai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.