Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bataan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bataan: $484 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Bataan
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Bataan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bataan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$484

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $484 in Bataan versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Bataan $484
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $808 in Bataan versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Bataan $808
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,132 in Bataan versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Bataan $1,132
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Bataan costs roughly 48% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bataan 64% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.35 ₱86.7

$2.24 ฿75.7

-39.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.58 ₱1,061

$19.00 ฿642

-12.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.67 ₱171

$5.55 ฿188

-51.89%

Cappuccino

$1.30 ₱83.2

$1.67 ฿56.6

-22.16%

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

$0.58 ₱37.18

$0.64 ฿21.56

-9.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 ₱14.05

$0.31 ฿10.32

-29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 ₱63.9

$2.36 ฿79.6

-57.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₱99.2

$3.66 ฿124

-57.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₱100

$1.95 ฿65.8

-19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱70.5

$1.44 ฿48.51

-23.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱64.7

$1.33 ฿45.07

-24.06%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱112

$2.28 ฿77.1

-23.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.10 ₱326

$16.45 ฿556

-69.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 ₱189

$2.78 ฿94.0

6.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.61 ₱487

$9.31 ฿314

-18.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ₱144

$2.35 ฿79.5

-4.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₱97.4

$0.97 ฿32.82

56.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱145

$1.60 ฿53.9

41.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.5

$1.50 ฿50.7

-29.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 ₱106

$1.28 ฿43.15

28.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 ₱107

$1.10 ฿37.22

51.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ₱38.44

$0.71 ฿23.84

-15.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱33.55

$0.49 ฿16.38

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 ₱139

$4.14 ฿140

-47.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.40 ₱537

$17.52 ฿592

-52.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.8

$1.61 ฿54.5

-39.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱129

$2.78 ฿94.0

-27.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.25

$0.87 ฿29.33

-72.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.16 ₱714

$54.1 ฿1,827

-79.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₱48.15

$1.16 ฿39.08

-35.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.40

$0.53 ฿17.82

-54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₱118

$2.42 ฿81.8

-23.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ₱66.1

$1.45 ฿48.93

-28.97%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-1.94%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-30.74%

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

$47.28 ₱3,026

$62.2 ฿2,100

-23.95%

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

$17.49 ₱1,119

$12.17 ฿411

43.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.85 ₱1,462

$20.12 ฿680

13.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.23 ₱1,999

$37.31 ฿1,260

-16.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.61 ₱359

$3.77 ฿127

48.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 ₱321

$6.49 ฿219

-22.80%

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

$65.6 ₱4,197

$736 ฿24.9K

-91.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱684.0K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-27.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.82 ₱1,780

$53.4 ฿1,802

-47.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.07 ₱1,220

$24.64 ฿832

-22.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 ₱4,429

$91.5 ฿3,089

-24.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 ₱3,571

$71.9 ฿2,429

-22.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$161 ₱10.3K

$482 ฿16.3K

-66.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.0 ₱3,202

$309 ฿10.4K

-83.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 ₱17.5K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-72.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ₱11.3K

$633 ฿21.4K

-72.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,553 ₱163.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

8.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,066 ₱68.2K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-32.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$389 ₱24.9K

$590 ฿19.9K

-34.05%

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 Bataan: 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

Bataan

$168 34.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 39.6% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bataan

$88 18.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 7.8% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Bataan

$77 16%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 40.4% $31

Accommodation & Living

Bataan

$50 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 517% $259

Eating Out

Bataan

$46 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 69.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Bataan

$41 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 21.9% $9

Getting Around

Bataan

$14 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 336% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $161 in Bataan and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 52% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $17 in Bataan vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $168 vs $234 per month, with Bataan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Bataan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

02:01 2:01 AM

1 h behind Bataan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,743

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.23 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bataan Chiang Mai 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bataan
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

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

Bataan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. The 93% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Bataan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $161 in Bataan versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bataan – a meal for two runs $17 versus $19 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Bataan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.