Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alabang and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Alabang: $740 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Alabang
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Alabang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Alabang

🇵🇭 Philippines

$740

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $740 per month in Alabang vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alabang $740
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,123 per month in Alabang vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alabang $1,123
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,506 per month in Alabang vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alabang $1,506
Chiang Mai $1,914

Alabang is about 21% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Alabang and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Alabang 45% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 ₱253

$2.26 ฿75.4

77.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.41 ₱1,222

$19.18 ฿641

1.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.85 ₱179

$5.59 ฿187

-49.02%

Cappuccino

$2.41 ₱152

$1.72 ฿57.6

40.12%

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

$0.74 ₱46.70

$0.64 ฿21.54

15.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.42

$0.33 ฿11.18

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱62.3

$2.36 ฿78.7

-58.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₱123

$3.90 ฿130

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ₱102

$2.05 ฿68.6

-20.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱73.1

$1.40 ฿46.70

-17.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ₱56.6

$1.28 ฿42.89

-29.69%

Eggs

$1.76 ₱111

$2.25 ฿75.3

-21.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.21 ₱328

$16.94 ฿566

-69.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 ₱221

$2.74 ฿91.6

28.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.90 ₱435

$9.36 ฿313

-26.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 ₱140

$2.40 ฿80.3

-7.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ₱86.6

$1.01 ฿33.92

36.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ₱145

$1.61 ฿53.9

42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 ₱65.2

$1.52 ฿50.7

-32.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.28 ฿42.90

31.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 ₱108

$1.11 ฿37.22

54.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₱42.07

$0.72 ฿24.09

-6.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.47

$0.52 ฿17.54

-3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ₱177

$4.33 ฿145

-34.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 ₱463

$17.73 ฿593

-58.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱62.0

$1.63 ฿54.4

-39.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

$2.85 ฿95.3

-38.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ₱17.25

$0.85 ฿28.31

-68.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 ₱783

$53.9 ฿1,801

-76.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 ₱52.9

$1.17 ฿39.18

-28.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.18

$0.57 ฿19.00

-63.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 ₱119

$2.37 ฿79.2

-20.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ₱75.5

$1.45 ฿48.32

-17.24%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

5.35%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-29.25%

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

$143 ₱8,974

$62.3 ฿2,083

128.69%

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

$14.41 ₱907

$12.27 ฿410

17.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ₱1,484

$19.97 ฿668

17.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.52 ₱2,174

$37.91 ฿1,267

-8.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.53 ₱285

$3.76 ฿126

20.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.33 ₱336

$6.71 ฿224

-20.57%

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

$74.1 ₱4,664

$797 ฿26.6K

-90.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,528 ₱159.1K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-82.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.82 ₱1,815

$53.3 ฿1,780

-45.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.68 ₱1,239

$25.05 ฿837

-21.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 ₱4,536

$91.6 ฿3,062

-21.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.4 ₱3,548

$73.5 ฿2,455

-23.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 ₱14.0K

$464 ฿15.5K

-52.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 ₱10.7K

$305 ฿10.2K

-44.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ₱32.3K

$915 ฿30.6K

-43.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ₱22.4K

$552 ฿18.5K

-35.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,233 ₱140.6K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

16.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$903 ₱56.9K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-37.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.57

21.18%

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

Last update for Alabang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alabang

$181 24.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 47.6% $86

Accommodation & Living

Alabang

$170 23%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 79.4% $135

Groceries & Markets

Alabang

$166 22.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 43% $72

Eating Out

Alabang

$83 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 4.4% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Alabang

$80 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 37.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Alabang

$45 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 13.6% $6.2

Getting Around

Alabang

$15 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 298% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Alabang versus $464 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 $19.00 in Alabang versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $238 – making Alabang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Alabang

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

01:29 1:29 AM

1 h behind Alabang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,075

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alabang Chiang Mai 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Alabang
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

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,109 per month in Alabang and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alabang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Alabang and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Alabang, where all-in costs run around $740, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Alabang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Alabang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Alabang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.