Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bacolod and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacolod: $607 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bacolod
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Bacolod Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bacolod

🇵🇭 Philippines

$607

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $607 per month in Bacolod vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bacolod $607
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $885 per month in Bacolod vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bacolod $885
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,162 per month in Bacolod vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bacolod $1,162
Chiang Mai $1,914

Bacolod is about 35% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Bacolod and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Bacolod 55% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.34 ₱147

$2.26 ฿75.4

3.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.87 ₱810

$19.18 ฿641

-32.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.03 ₱254

$5.59 ฿187

-27.91%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ₱155

$1.72 ฿57.6

43.02%

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

$0.70 ₱43.96

$0.64 ฿21.54

9.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ₱23.61

$0.33 ฿11.18

15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ₱86.3

$2.36 ฿78.7

-41.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.90 ฿130

-54.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱101

$2.05 ฿68.6

-21.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱73.2

$1.40 ฿46.70

-17.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱60.0

$1.28 ฿42.89

-25.78%

Eggs

$1.66 ₱105

$2.25 ฿75.3

-26.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 ₱561

$16.94 ฿566

-47.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.95 ₱437

$2.74 ฿91.6

153.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ₱212

$2.40 ฿80.3

40.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 ₱152

$1.01 ฿33.92

139.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₱33.60

$1.52 ฿50.7

-65.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.11 ฿37.22

80.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ₱64.8

$0.52 ฿17.54

98.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ₱175

$4.33 ฿145

-36.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₱57.4

$1.63 ฿54.4

-44.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₱11.18

$0.85 ฿28.31

-78.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 ₱38.66

$1.17 ฿39.18

-47.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.5

$1.45 ฿48.32

-11.72%

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

$22.1K ₱1.4M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

7.74%

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

$24.0K ₱1.5M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-9.49%

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

$137 ₱8,646

$62.3 ฿2,083

120.33%

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

$7.99 ₱503

$12.27 ฿410

-34.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 ₱1,776

$19.97 ฿668

41.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.87 ₱999

$37.91 ฿1,267

-58.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.44 ₱153

$3.76 ฿126

-35.11%

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 ₱275

$6.71 ฿224

-34.87%

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

$31.23 ₱1,966

$797 ฿26.6K

-96.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₱16.8K

$464 ฿15.5K

-42.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ₱11.2K

$305 ฿10.2K

-41.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 ₱29.9K

$915 ฿30.6K

-48.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 ₱21.8K

$552 ฿18.5K

-37.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$206 ₱13.0K

$595 ฿19.9K

-65.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Bacolod: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bacolod

$178 29.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 70.8% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bacolod

$174 28.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 45.5% $79

Groceries & Markets

Bacolod

$155 * 25.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 53.9% $83

Eating Out

Bacolod

$75 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 5.3% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Bacolod

$25 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 109% $27

Getting Around

Bacolod

$1.3 * 0.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 4545% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Bacolod

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Bacolod 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.

Salaries run about 189% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Bacolod versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $155 vs $238 – making Bacolod the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Bacolod

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

06:22 6:22 AM

1 h behind Bacolod

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

561,875

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bacolod Chiang Mai 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Bacolod
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $607 in Bacolod, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $911 per month in Bacolod 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 Bacolod, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Bacolod and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bacolod, where all-in costs run around $607, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Bacolod it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bacolod has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $607 in Bacolod to $938 in Chiang Mai. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Bacolod. 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.