Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,663 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,663

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,663 per month in Tokyo vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tokyo $1,663
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,592 per month in Tokyo vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tokyo $2,592
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,521 per month in Tokyo vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tokyo $3,521
Chiang Mai $1,914

Tokyo costs about 77% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tokyo sits 23% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 ¥1,180

$2.26 ฿75.4

230.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.48 ¥5,921

$19.18 ฿641

95.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$5.59 ฿187

-12.34%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$1.72 ฿57.6

110.47%

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

$1.66 ¥262

$0.64 ฿21.54

159.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥133

$0.33 ฿11.18

154.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥582

$2.36 ฿78.7

56.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 ¥829

$3.90 ฿130

34.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$2.05 ฿68.6

-27.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥276

$1.40 ฿46.70

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 ¥889

$1.28 ฿42.89

339.84%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥348

$2.25 ฿75.3

-2.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ¥1,767

$16.94 ฿566

-33.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 ¥1,081

$2.74 ฿91.6

149.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 ¥2,624

$9.36 ฿313

77.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥759

$2.40 ฿80.3

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ¥354

$1.01 ฿33.92

121.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 ¥666

$1.61 ฿53.9

162.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 ¥821

$1.52 ฿50.7

242.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ¥520

$1.28 ฿42.90

157.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 ¥481

$1.11 ฿37.22

174.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥188

$0.72 ฿24.09

65.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥129

$0.52 ฿17.54

55.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 ¥619

$4.33 ฿145

-9.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.65 ¥1,524

$17.73 ฿593

-45.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥258

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ¥426

$2.85 ฿95.3

-5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

$0.85 ฿28.31

47.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 ¥10.1K

$53.9 ฿1,801

18.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$1.17 ฿39.18

167.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$0.57 ฿19.00

463.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.55 ¥2,931

$2.37 ฿79.2

682.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.45 ฿48.32

-27.59%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

5.24%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-42.81%

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

$149 ¥23.5K

$62.3 ฿2,083

138.26%

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

$21.59 ¥3,412

$12.27 ฿410

75.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.62 ¥4,837

$19.97 ฿668

53.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.7 ¥10.5K

$37.91 ฿1,267

75.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 ¥4,042

$3.76 ฿126

580.32%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 ¥2,004

$6.71 ฿224

88.97%

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

$1,350 ¥213.3K

$797 ฿26.6K

69.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

20.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 ¥8,853

$53.3 ฿1,780

5.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.14 ¥5,236

$25.05 ฿837

32.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.3 ¥10.2K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-29.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 ¥11.1K

$73.5 ฿2,455

-4.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 ¥197.9K

$464 ฿15.5K

169.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 ¥110.6K

$305 ฿10.2K

129.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,502 ¥395.3K

$915 ฿30.6K

173.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 ¥225.9K

$552 ฿18.5K

158.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 ¥1.5M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

393.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,236 ¥669.3K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

194.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.7K

$595 ฿19.9K

403.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

5.57

-59.61%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$700 42.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 56.5% $395

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 26.8% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 52.9% $106

Eating Out

Tokyo

$157 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 49.6% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 8.8% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 44.2% $41

Getting Around

Tokyo

$88 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 30.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,253 in Tokyo 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.

Salaries run about 404% higher in Tokyo, 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 $37.00 in Tokyo versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:52 12:52 AM

22:52 10:52 PM

2 h behind Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

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

Tokyo Chiang Mai 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tokyo
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

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

Tokyo costs about 77% 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 $2,495 per month in Tokyo 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 $1,350 per month in Tokyo 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 37% more in Tokyo, 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 Tokyo at $1,663. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tokyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,663 in Tokyo. 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, Tokyo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.