Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tsukuba and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,103 in Tsukuba, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Tsukuba
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Tsukuba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,103

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,103 per month in Tsukuba vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tsukuba $1,103
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,755 per month in Tsukuba vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tsukuba $1,755
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,407 per month in Tsukuba vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tsukuba $2,407
Chiang Mai $1,903

Tsukuba costs about 19% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tsukuba and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Tsukuba 19% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.47 ¥1,023

$2.29 ฿76.5

182.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.71 ¥5,168

$19.64 ฿656

66.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 ¥777

$5.61 ฿188

-12.30%

Cappuccino

$2.70 ¥427

$1.66 ฿55.6

62.65%

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

$0.99 ¥157

$0.70 ฿23.40

41.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.31 ฿10.24

154.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 ¥345

$2.41 ฿80.4

-9.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ¥500

$3.71 ฿124

-14.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ¥221

$1.95 ฿65.3

-28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 ¥269

$1.41 ฿47.03

21.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 ¥484

$1.31 ฿43.62

134.35%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥328

$2.18 ฿72.9

-4.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.43 ¥1,647

$16.65 ฿556

-37.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.93 ¥936

$2.76 ฿92.2

114.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 ¥2,277

$9.11 ฿304

58.18%

Apples (1kg)

$5.55 ¥877

$2.39 ฿80.0

132.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 ¥444

$1.03 ฿34.26

172.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 ¥461

$1.63 ฿54.4

79.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 ¥643

$1.50 ฿50.0

171.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥396

$1.29 ฿43.13

93.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$1.11 ฿37.03

136.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.72 ฿24.08

9.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥129

$0.53 ฿17.59

54.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 ¥584

$4.31 ฿144

-14.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ¥986

$17.95 ฿600

-65.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥275

$1.58 ฿52.9

10.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥321

$2.84 ฿95.0

-28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$0.86 ฿28.86

68.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.4 ¥8,284

$53.3 ฿1,780

-1.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 ¥509

$1.21 ฿40.29

166.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 ¥430

$0.57 ฿18.99

377.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.84 ¥3,292

$2.35 ฿78.6

786.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.44 ฿47.96

-26.39%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

2.84%

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

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-33.32%

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

$132 ¥20.9K

$62.3 ฿2,083

111.74%

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

$24.06 ¥3,801

$12.11 ฿405

98.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.01 ¥5,057

$19.94 ฿666

60.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 ¥8,596

$37.07 ฿1,239

46.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$12.48 ¥1,972

$6.50 ฿217

92.00%

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

$95.9 ¥15.1K

$793 ฿26.5K

-87.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

0.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.00 ¥7,584

$53.7 ฿1,796

-10.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.46 ¥5,918

$24.62 ฿823

52.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.06 ¥6,014

$90.9 ฿3,036

-58.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.32 ¥6,528

$71.1 ฿2,378

-41.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$458 ¥72.4K

$455 ฿15.2K

0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ¥44.1K

$298 ฿9,954

-6.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 ¥171.6K

$908 ฿30.4K

19.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 ¥100.8K

$554 ฿18.5K

15.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,177 ¥659.9K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

116.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,755 ¥277.2K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

21.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 ¥224.3K

$591 ฿19.7K

140.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-64.09%

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

Last update for Tsukuba: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tsukuba

$283 25.7%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 16.9% $48

Accommodation & Living

Tsukuba

$279 25.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 6.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tsukuba

$188 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 49.8% $94

Eating Out

Tsukuba

$123 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 36.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Tsukuba

$79 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 36.9% $29

Getting Around

Tsukuba

$75 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 19% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Tsukuba

$74 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 45.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $458 in Tsukuba versus $455 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 140% higher in Tsukuba, 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 $33.00 in Tsukuba versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tsukuba

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

20:24 8:24 PM

2 h behind Tsukuba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

230,398

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 20, 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 20, 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

Tsukuba Chiang Mai 4,450 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tsukuba
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

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

Tsukuba costs about 19% 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 $1,654 per month in Tsukuba and $1,388 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 $95.9 per month in Tsukuba and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Tsukuba, 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 $925, than in Tsukuba at $1,103. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tsukuba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,103 in Tsukuba. 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, Tsukuba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.