Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ube and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,240 in Ube, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Ube
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Ube Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,240 per month in Ube vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ube $1,240
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,925 per month in Ube vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ube $1,925
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,610 per month in Ube vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ube $2,610
Chiang Mai $1,999

Ube costs about 33% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ube and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ube 8% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.98 ¥1,106

$2.13 ฿71.8

227.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.82 ¥5,516

$18.62 ฿626

87.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ¥889

$5.60 ฿188

0.18%

Cappuccino

$3.20 ¥507

$1.66 ฿55.9

92.77%

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

$1.14 ¥181

$0.65 ฿21.75

75.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.30 ฿10.25

170.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ¥320

$2.32 ฿78.1

-12.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥489

$3.67 ฿123

-15.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥240

$2.02 ฿67.8

-25.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ¥249

$1.41 ฿47.34

11.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.80 ¥760

$1.39 ฿46.79

245.32%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥349

$2.37 ฿79.6

-7.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 ¥1,573

$16.52 ฿555

-39.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.37 ¥1,009

$2.67 ฿89.8

138.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.50 ¥2,455

$9.02 ฿303

71.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ¥832

$2.40 ฿80.6

118.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥415

$1.04 ฿35.01

151.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 ¥629

$1.66 ฿55.8

139.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 ¥707

$1.56 ฿52.4

185.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 ¥524

$1.24 ฿41.61

166.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 ¥427

$1.09 ฿36.53

146.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ¥218

$0.76 ฿25.61

81.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$0.51 ฿17.29

60.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥640

$4.12 ฿139

-1.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 ¥1,053

$17.93 ฿603

-62.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥312

$1.62 ฿54.6

21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ¥372

$2.82 ฿94.9

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 ¥253

$0.93 ฿31.42

72.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.5 ¥8,948

$52.9 ฿1,778

6.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 ¥537

$1.18 ฿39.56

187.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ¥459

$0.17 ฿5.76

1605.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.04 ¥3,333

$1.81 ฿60.9

1062.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥188

$1.47 ฿49.51

-19.73%

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

$22.8K ¥3.6M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

8.62%

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

$17.2K ¥2.7M

$26.5K ฿891.4K

-35.03%

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

$142 ¥22.5K

$62.6 ฿2,103

126.77%

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

$27.14 ¥4,299

$11.60 ฿390

133.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.42 ¥5,453

$20.30 ฿683

69.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ¥9,147

$37.88 ฿1,274

52.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.93 ¥2,207

$3.70 ฿124

276.49%

Cinema Ticket

$12.94 ¥2,049

$6.51 ฿219

98.77%

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

$277 ¥44.0K

$727 ฿24.4K

-61.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-18.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.73 ¥6,769

$53.5 ฿1,800

-20.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.68 ¥4,702

$24.80 ฿834

19.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.0 ¥9,502

$90.4 ฿3,039

-33.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.1 ¥14.4K

$72.0 ฿2,420

26.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$462 ¥73.2K

$481 ฿16.2K

-3.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ¥52.3K

$310 ฿10.4K

6.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$860 ¥136.2K

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-18.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ¥102.6K

$659 ฿22.1K

-1.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,856 ¥452.4K

$2,418 ฿81.3K

18.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,757 ¥278.3K

$1,609 ฿54.1K

9.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.81

5.57

-67.50%

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

Last update for Ube: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ube

$330 26.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 6.2% $20

Groceries & Markets

Ube

$306 24.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 22.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ube

$203 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 53.6% $109

Eating Out

Ube

$135 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 43.4% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Ube

$101 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 7.7% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Ube

$84 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 39.1% $33

Getting Around

Ube

$81 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 27.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $462 in Ube versus $481 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ube versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $306 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ube

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

2 h behind Ube

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

162,570

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ube Chiang Mai 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ube
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

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

Ube costs about 33% 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 $1,859 per month in Ube and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $462 in Ube and $481 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $277 per month in Ube and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Ube, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,240 in Ube and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,240 in Ube. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.