Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calamba and Pathum Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $518 a month against $785 in Pathum Thani, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Calamba
🇵🇭 Philippines
$518
/mo nomad
Pathum Thani
🇹🇭 Thailand
$785
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calamba and in Pathum Thani

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Calamba and in Pathum Thani actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Calamba versus $785 in Pathum Thani.

  • Calamba $518
  • Pathum Thani $785

Estimated couple costs with rent: $764 in Calamba versus $1,329 in Pathum Thani.

  • Calamba $764
  • Pathum Thani $1,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,010 in Calamba versus $1,873 in Pathum Thani.

  • Calamba $1,010
  • Pathum Thani $1,873

Living in Calamba costs roughly 34% less than in Pathum Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Calamba 62% lower, Pathum Thani 42% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Calamba
Pathum Thani
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.92 ₱247
$1.79 ฿59.9
118.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.02 ₱757
$22.25 ฿744
-45.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.82 ₱178
$5.90 ฿197
-52.20%
Cappuccino
$1.79 ₱113
$1.73 ฿58.0
3.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₱35.44
$0.42 ฿14.03
33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ₱21.06
$0.18 ฿6.05
83.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.94 ₱59.5
$1.73 ฿57.7
-45.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ₱97.7
$2.13 ฿71.3
-27.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Calamba
Pathum Thani
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 ₱101
$1.47 ฿49.07
8.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.11 ₱70.1
$1.32 ฿44.22
-15.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.97 ₱61.0
$1.23 ฿41.03
-21.14%
Eggs
$2.00 ₱126
$1.80 ฿60.2
11.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.20 ₱327
$12.52 ฿418
-58.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ₱214
$2.43 ฿81.1
39.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.80 ₱491
$12.06 ฿403
-35.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.31 ₱145
$3.60 ฿120
-35.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 ₱96.9
$0.96 ฿31.93
60.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.40 ₱151
$2.49 ฿83.3
-3.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.06 ₱66.9
$1.58 ฿52.8
-32.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.73 ₱109
$1.97 ฿66.0
-12.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 ₱112
$1.04 ฿34.74
71.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.61 ₱38.68
$0.77 ฿25.70
-20.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ₱31.10
$0.44 ฿14.85
11.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.92 ₱184
$4.53 ฿151
-35.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.87 ₱558
$13.87 ฿464
-36.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 ₱60.3
$1.51 ฿50.3
-36.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 ₱132
$1.66 ฿55.6
26.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Calamba
Pathum Thani
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.60 ฿20.07
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.82 ₱51.9
$1.06 ฿35.28
-22.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.25 ₱15.75
$1.53 ฿51.1
-83.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.88 ₱119
$8.76 ฿293
-78.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.93 ₱58.7
$1.16 ฿38.69
-19.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ₱1.3M
$17.5K ฿585.7K
20.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.0K ₱1.2M
$23.9K ฿797.8K
-20.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calamba
Pathum Thani
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$139 ₱8,759
$82.3 ฿2,751
69.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.36 ₱1,093
$9.23 ฿309
88.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.85 ₱1,502
$10.22 ฿341
133.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Calamba
Pathum Thani
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$29.61 ฿990
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.04 ₱317
$6.63 ฿222
-23.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Calamba
Pathum Thani
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$130 ₱8,193
$196 ฿6,543
-33.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K ₱668.9K
$10.7K ฿357.5K
-0.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Calamba
Pathum Thani
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.54 ₱1,797
$5.91 ฿198
382.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.73 ₱1,242
$35.81 ฿1,197
-44.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.0 ₱4,468
$71.5 ฿2,388
-0.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.3 ₱3,482
$52.8 ฿1,765
4.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Calamba
Pathum Thani
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$453 ฿15.1K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$263 ฿8,805
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,476 ฿49.3K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$738 ฿24.6K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,477 ฿149.6K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,199 ฿73.5K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Calamba
Pathum Thani
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$260 ₱16.4K
$396 ฿13.2K
-34.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.75
4
68.75%

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

Last update for Calamba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pathum Thani: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calamba
$180
Pathum Thani
$102 43.6% $79
Groceries & Markets
Calamba
$175
Pathum Thani
$223 27.5% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Calamba
$79
Pathum Thani
$75 4.9% $3.9
Eating Out
Calamba
$73
Pathum Thani
$68 6.3% $4.6
Sport & Entertainment
Calamba
$10 *
Pathum Thani
$43 325% $33
Getting Around
Calamba
$2.1 *
Pathum Thani
$11 * 434% $9
Accommodation & Living
Calamba
- *
Pathum Thani
$263

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

Cost Breakdown

Pathum Thani 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: $12.00 in Calamba vs $22.00 in Pathum Thani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $223 per month, with Calamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Calamba
🇹🇭 Pathum Thani
🕒 Local time
20:33 8:33 PM
19:33 7:33 PM
1 h behind Calamba
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
539,671
18,320
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Calamba Pathum Thani 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Calamba
  • Pathum Thani

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
Calamba vs Pathum Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Calamba or Pathum Thani?
Calamba wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Pathum Thani. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calamba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Calamba or in Pathum Thani?
On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Pathum Thani. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
Are groceries more expensive in Calamba or in Pathum Thani?
Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Pathum Thani. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Calamba compared to Pathum Thani?
All in, you'll spend $518 per month in Calamba versus $785 in Pathum Thani – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $800/month in Calamba or in Pathum Thani?
Either city works on $800 a month, though Calamba gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Calamba or Pathum Thani?
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.
How safe is Calamba compared to Pathum Thani?
Safety-wise, Calamba and Pathum Thani are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Calamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Pathum Thani. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Calamba vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?