Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Utsunomiya and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,316 in Utsunomiya, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Utsunomiya
Learn more

Utsunomiya Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Utsunomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,316

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,316 per month in Utsunomiya vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Utsunomiya $1,316
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,971 per month in Utsunomiya vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Utsunomiya $1,971
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,625 per month in Utsunomiya vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Utsunomiya $2,625
Chiang Mai $1,979

Utsunomiya costs about 41% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Utsunomiya and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Utsunomiya 3% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.07 ¥958

$2.24 ฿75.7

170.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.88 ¥2,666

$19.00 ฿642

-11.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥768

$5.55 ฿188

-12.43%

Cappuccino

$3.52 ¥556

$1.67 ฿56.6

110.78%

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

$1.07 ¥169

$0.64 ฿21.56

67.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥133

$0.31 ฿10.32

170.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 ¥490

$2.36 ฿79.6

31.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥293

$3.66 ฿124

-49.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.95 ฿65.8

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 ¥264

$1.44 ฿48.51

15.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 ¥888

$1.33 ฿45.07

323.31%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥356

$2.28 ฿77.1

-1.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 ¥1,825

$16.45 ฿556

-29.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 ¥1,074

$2.78 ฿94.0

144.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 ¥2,644

$9.31 ฿314

79.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 ¥766

$2.35 ฿79.5

106.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥358

$0.97 ฿32.82

134.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 ¥672

$1.60 ฿53.9

165.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.27 ¥832

$1.50 ฿50.7

251.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ¥536

$1.28 ฿43.15

165.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.01 ¥476

$1.10 ฿37.22

173.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥187

$0.71 ฿23.84

66.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.49 ฿16.38

61.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 ¥626

$4.14 ฿140

-4.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.70 ¥1,531

$17.52 ฿592

-44.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥265

$1.61 ฿54.5

4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥434

$2.78 ฿94.0

-1.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥198

$0.87 ฿29.33

43.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$54.1 ฿1,827

19.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥486

$1.16 ฿39.08

165.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.13 ¥495

$0.53 ฿17.82

490.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.99 ¥2,998

$2.42 ฿81.8

684.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.45 ฿48.93

-26.90%

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

$22.8K ¥3.6M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

8.33%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-43.45%

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

$150 ¥23.6K

$62.2 ฿2,100

140.49%

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

$23.41 ¥3,696

$12.17 ฿411

92.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.11 ¥4,754

$20.12 ฿680

49.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 ¥7,980

$37.31 ฿1,260

35.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.49 ¥1,972

$3.77 ฿127

231.30%

Cinema Ticket

$13.12 ¥2,072

$6.49 ฿219

102.16%

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

$1,408 ¥222.3K

$736 ฿24.9K

91.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K ¥2.9M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

23.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥8,694

$53.4 ฿1,802

3.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.60 ¥5,148

$24.64 ฿832

32.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.8 ¥10.2K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-29.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 ¥11.4K

$71.9 ฿2,429

0.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$609 ¥96.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

26.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 ¥61.3K

$309 ฿10.4K

25.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 ¥141.0K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-11.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 ¥113.9K

$633 ฿21.4K

13.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,783 ¥597.2K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

60.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,111 ¥333.3K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

32.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Utsunomiya: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Utsunomiya

$388 29.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 20.5% $79

Groceries & Markets

Utsunomiya

$327 24.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.2% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Utsunomiya

$203 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 53.5% $109

Eating Out

Utsunomiya

$132 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 41.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Utsunomiya

$101 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 7.5% $7.6

Getting Around

Utsunomiya

$88 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 30.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Utsunomiya

$77 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 34.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $609 in Utsunomiya 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17 in Utsunomiya versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $327 in Utsunomiya vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Utsunomiya

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

01:06 1:06 AM

2 h behind Utsunomiya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,217

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Utsunomiya Chiang Mai 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Utsunomiya
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

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

Utsunomiya costs about 41% 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 $1,974 per month in Utsunomiya 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 $609 in Utsunomiya.

Kindergarten costs $1,408 per month in Utsunomiya 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 39% more in Utsunomiya, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,316 in Utsunomiya 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 $1,316 in Utsunomiya. 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.