✦ Compare
Chiang Mai vs
Osaka
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
To keep the same standard of living in Osaka, JP, you'd need
$148,471 / year
Osaka, JP is 98% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Osaka, JP vs Chiang Mai, TH)
- Housing+119%
- Food & groceries+118%
- Transport+116%
- Utilities+69%
- Healthcare+55%
- Goods & services+89%
◎ How Chiang Mai, TH and Osaka, JP compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Chiang Mai, TH | Osaka, JP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 49 | 96 |
| Housing | 42 | 92 |
| Food | 45 | 98 |
| Transport | 38 | 82 |
| Utilities | 65 | 110 |
| Healthcare | 55 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 55 | 104 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $450/mo | $850/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $300/mo | $600/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $900/mo | $1,600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $1,800 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $2,059 | $1,040 |
| Inexpensive meal | $3 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | — | $60 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 35% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 7% | 10% |
| Corporate tax | 20% | 30% |
| Capital gains | — | 20.3% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $800/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Minimum wage | $300/mo | $1,300/mo |
| GDP per capita | $8,057 | $35,951 |
| Inflation (annual) | -0.1% | 3.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Moderate | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 50 | 25 |
| Time zone | UTC+7 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 65 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 70 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 70 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 230 Mbps |
| Walkability | 45 | 80 |
| Public transport | 30 | 88 |
| Family-friendly | 62 | 72 |
| Tap water | Use caution | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 77 yr | 84 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +22 °C | +6 °C |
| July avg | +28 °C | +28 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 240 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,150 mm | 1,300 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Thailand vs Japan. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Chiang Mai
The original budget-nomad capital — temples, mountains and Nimman's café-coworking strip at some of Asia's lowest costs. The trade-off is the March–April burning season, when air quality collapses.
- Currency
- Thai baht (฿ THB)
- Languages
- Thai
- Time zone
- UTC+7
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 65/100
- Climate
- ❄ 22°C · ☀ 28°C · 240 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- A/B/C · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Nimman · Old City · Santitham · Hang Dong
Good to know before you move to Osaka
Japan's warm, wisecracking second city and its street-food heart — cheaper and more laid-back than Tokyo, with the same safety, transit and reliability. The gateway to Kansai (Kyoto and Kobe are minutes away), it's an easy-going base with a big food and startup scene.
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥ JPY)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 230 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 6°C · ☀ 28°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 100V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Namba · Umeda · Tennoji · Nakazakicho
Plan your move to Chiang Mai
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Scooter rentalBikesBooking
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Osaka
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Chiang Mai to Osaka: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Chiang Mai to Osaka, your cost of living will be roughly 98% more expensive. Osaka’s cost-of-living index is 96 versus 49 for Chiang Mai (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Chiang Mai cheaper than Osaka?
Osaka is about 98% more expensive than Chiang Mai overall — its cost-of-living index is 96 versus 49 for Chiang Mai.
How much do you need to earn in Osaka to live like in Chiang Mai?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Chiang Mai is worth about $148,471 in Osaka. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Chiang Mai or Osaka?
Thailand has the lower top income-tax rate — 35% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Chiang Mai
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.