Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calbayog and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Calbayog: $723 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Calbayog
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Calbayog Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Calbayog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$723

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $723 per month in Calbayog vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Calbayog $723
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,104 per month in Calbayog vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Calbayog $1,104
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,484 per month in Calbayog vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Calbayog $1,484
Chiang Mai $1,999

Calbayog is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Calbayog and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Calbayog 47% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 ₱256

$2.13 ฿71.8

88.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.24 ₱1,033

$18.62 ฿626

-12.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.76 ₱176

$5.60 ฿188

-50.71%

Cappuccino

$2.15 ₱136

$1.66 ฿55.9

29.52%

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

$0.68 ₱43.41

$0.65 ฿21.75

4.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.60

$0.30 ฿10.25

3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱72.5

$2.32 ฿78.1

-50.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₱135

$3.67 ฿123

-42.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱102

$2.02 ฿67.8

-20.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱72.4

$1.41 ฿47.34

-19.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.4

$1.39 ฿46.79

-30.22%

Eggs

$1.92 ₱122

$2.37 ฿79.6

-18.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.63 ₱358

$16.52 ฿555

-65.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 ₱264

$2.67 ฿89.8

55.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.08 ₱450

$9.02 ฿303

-21.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ₱147

$2.40 ฿80.6

-3.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱99.4

$1.04 ฿35.01

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$1.66 ฿55.8

38.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.8

$1.56 ฿52.4

-25.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 ₱129

$1.24 ฿41.61

63.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 ₱141

$1.09 ฿36.53

103.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱69.8

$0.76 ฿25.61

44.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱34.03

$0.51 ฿17.29

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₱183

$4.12 ฿139

-30.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 ₱479

$17.93 ฿603

-57.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ₱59.6

$1.62 ฿54.6

-41.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ₱120

$2.82 ฿94.9

-32.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.32

$0.93 ฿31.42

-74.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.58 ₱800

$52.9 ฿1,778

-76.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.84

$1.18 ฿39.56

-33.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$0.17 ฿5.76

29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱118

$1.81 ฿60.9

2.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ₱73.5

$1.47 ฿49.51

-21.09%

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

$20.6K ₱1.3M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

-1.92%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$26.5K ฿891.4K

-28.51%

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

$118 ₱7,521

$62.6 ฿2,103

89.08%

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

$15.41 ₱980

$11.60 ฿390

32.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.86 ₱1,517

$20.30 ฿683

17.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.71 ₱2,016

$37.88 ฿1,274

-16.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.15 ₱328

$3.70 ฿124

39.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 ₱332

$6.51 ฿219

-19.82%

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

$130 ₱8,254

$727 ฿24.4K

-82.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,709 ₱490.2K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-53.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.11 ₱2,041

$53.5 ฿1,800

-40.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.07 ₱1,212

$24.80 ฿834

-23.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ₱4,554

$90.4 ฿3,039

-20.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,515

$72.0 ฿2,420

-23.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$250 ₱15.9K

$481 ฿16.2K

-48.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 ₱10.8K

$310 ฿10.4K

-45.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 ₱30.9K

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-54.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ₱22.4K

$659 ฿22.1K

-46.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,619 ₱166.5K

$2,418 ฿81.3K

8.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,124 ₱71.4K

$1,609 ฿54.1K

-30.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$149 ₱9,499

$595 ฿20.0K

-74.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.92

5.57

24.24%

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

Last update for Calbayog: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calbayog

$179 24.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 32.4% $58

Accommodation & Living

Calbayog

$169 23.4%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 83.3% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calbayog

$158 21.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 40% $63

Eating Out

Calbayog

$80 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 4.4% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Calbayog

$80 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 35.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Calbayog

$42 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 20.8% $8.8

Getting Around

Calbayog

$15 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 280% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $250 in Calbayog versus $481 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 in Chiang Mai are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Calbayog versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $179 vs $237 – making Calbayog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Calbayog

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:23 3:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

1 h behind Calbayog

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,851

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Calbayog Chiang Mai 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Calbayog
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

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,085 per month in Calbayog and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calbayog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $250 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Calbayog and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

If budget matters most, go with Calbayog. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.