Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yamaguchi and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,202 in Yamaguchi, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Yamaguchi
Learn more

Yamaguchi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Yamaguchi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,202

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Yamaguchi vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yamaguchi $1,202
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,849 per month in Yamaguchi vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yamaguchi $1,849
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,495 per month in Yamaguchi vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yamaguchi $2,495
Chiang Mai $1,979

Yamaguchi costs about 28% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Yamaguchi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Yamaguchi 12% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.80 ¥600

$2.24 ฿75.7

69.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.96 ¥5,047

$19.00 ฿642

68.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 ¥793

$5.55 ฿188

-9.55%

Cappuccino

$3.71 ¥586

$1.67 ฿56.6

122.16%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$0.64 ฿21.56

64.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.31 ฿10.32

141.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 ¥612

$2.36 ฿79.6

64.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥349

$3.66 ฿124

-39.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.95 ฿65.8

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ¥288

$1.44 ฿48.51

27.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.61 ¥1,044

$1.33 ฿45.07

396.99%

Eggs

$2.21 ¥349

$2.28 ฿77.1

-3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.53 ¥2,926

$16.45 ฿556

12.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 ¥833

$2.78 ฿94.0

89.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.00 ¥3,001

$9.31 ฿314

104.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 ¥586

$2.35 ฿79.5

57.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 ¥295

$0.97 ฿32.82

92.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 ¥445

$1.60 ฿53.9

76.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 ¥515

$1.50 ฿50.7

117.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 ¥351

$1.28 ฿43.15

73.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ¥401

$1.10 ฿37.22

130.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ¥171

$0.71 ฿23.84

52.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥147

$0.49 ฿16.38

89.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥638

$4.14 ฿140

-2.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 ¥979

$17.52 ฿592

-64.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥263

$1.61 ฿54.5

3.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥302

$2.78 ฿94.0

-31.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥234

$0.87 ฿29.33

70.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.8 ¥8,016

$54.1 ฿1,827

-6.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 ¥631

$1.16 ฿39.08

244.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.42 ¥382

$0.53 ฿17.82

356.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.73 ¥2,799

$2.42 ฿81.8

632.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.45 ฿48.93

-26.21%

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

$22.5K ¥3.6M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

7.06%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-43.06%

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

$214 ¥33.8K

$62.2 ฿2,100

244.31%

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

$24.94 ¥3,938

$12.17 ฿411

104.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.47 ¥5,284

$20.12 ฿680

66.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 ¥8,321

$37.31 ฿1,260

41.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.67 ¥2,000

$6.49 ฿219

95.22%

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

$695 ¥109.8K

$736 ฿24.9K

-5.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ¥1.9M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-18.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.71 ¥7,690

$53.4 ฿1,802

-8.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.97 ¥4,101

$24.64 ฿832

5.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.8 ¥10.4K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-28.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.76 ¥7,541

$71.9 ฿2,429

-33.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 ¥64.6K

$482 ฿16.3K

-15.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 ¥40.4K

$309 ฿10.4K

-17.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 ¥127.2K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-19.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥90.3K

$633 ฿21.4K

-9.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,869 ¥768.8K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

106.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 ¥316.8K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

26.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

5.57

-64.63%

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

Last update for Yamaguchi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yamaguchi

$317 26.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 26.1% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yamaguchi

$272 22.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 65.3% $178

Accommodation & Living

Yamaguchi

$256 21.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 20.8% $53

Eating Out

Yamaguchi

$121 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 35.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Yamaguchi

$85 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 28.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Yamaguchi

$78 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.6% $28

Getting Around

Yamaguchi

$73 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 15.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $409 in Yamaguchi 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 $32 in Yamaguchi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $317 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Yamaguchi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

22:49 10:49 PM

2 h behind Yamaguchi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,966

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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yamaguchi Chiang Mai 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Yamaguchi
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

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

Yamaguchi costs about 28% 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 $1,803 per month in Yamaguchi 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 Yamaguchi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $409 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $695 per month in Yamaguchi 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 35% more in Yamaguchi, 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 $1,202 in Yamaguchi and $936 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,202 in Yamaguchi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.