Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caloocan and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Caloocan: $496 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Caloocan
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Caloocan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Caloocan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $496 per month in Caloocan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Caloocan $496
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $665 per month in Caloocan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Caloocan $665
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $834 per month in Caloocan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Caloocan $834
Chiang Mai $1,979

Caloocan is about 47% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Caloocan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Caloocan 64% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ₱172

$2.24 ฿75.6

20.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.45 ₱1,048

$19.00 ฿641

-13.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.26 ₱144

$5.55 ฿187

-59.28%

Cappuccino

$0.84 ₱53.3

$1.67 ฿56.5

-49.70%

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

$0.39 ₱25.07

$0.64 ฿21.54

-39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₱20.70

$0.31 ฿10.31

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱64.3

$2.36 ฿79.5

-57.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₱101

$3.66 ฿124

-56.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₱105

$1.95 ฿65.7

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.7

$1.44 ฿48.46

-22.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₱63.1

$1.33 ฿45.03

-25.56%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱114

$2.28 ฿77.1

-21.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.93 ₱314

$16.45 ฿555

-70.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 ₱212

$2.78 ฿93.9

19.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.69 ₱490

$9.31 ฿314

-17.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ₱142

$2.35 ฿79.4

-5.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.5

$0.97 ฿32.79

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$1.60 ฿53.9

46.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ₱66.6

$1.50 ฿50.6

-30.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.8

$1.28 ฿43.11

-17.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.10 ฿37.18

60.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.39

$0.71 ฿23.82

-8.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₱29.15

$0.49 ฿16.36

-6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ₱180

$4.14 ฿140

-31.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 ₱307

$17.52 ฿591

-72.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱61.2

$1.61 ฿54.5

-40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱129

$2.78 ฿93.9

-27.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.69

$0.87 ฿29.30

-77.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱49.01

$1.16 ฿39.04

-33.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.97

$0.53 ฿17.80

-58.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱118

$2.42 ฿81.7

-23.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₱68.0

$1.45 ฿48.88

-26.21%

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

$21.4K ₱1.4M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

1.43%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-28.84%

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

$53.6 ₱3,416

$62.2 ฿2,098

-13.78%

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

$9.42 ₱600

$12.17 ฿411

-22.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 ₱1,439

$20.12 ฿679

12.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$4.82 ₱307

$37.31 ฿1,259

-87.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 ₱326

$6.49 ฿219

-21.11%

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

$130 ₱8,279

$736 ฿24.8K

-82.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱673.2K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-28.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.20 ₱1,797

$53.4 ฿1,801

-47.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.52 ₱1,244

$24.64 ฿831

-20.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.9 ₱3,432

$91.5 ฿3,087

-41.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.64 ₱3,035

$71.9 ฿2,427

-33.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$209 ₱13.3K

$482 ฿16.3K

-56.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 ₱7,491

$309 ฿10.4K

-61.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$307 ₱19.6K

$590 ฿19.9K

-47.92%

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 Caloocan: 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

Caloocan

$158 31.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 48.4% $76

Accommodation & Living

Caloocan

$118 23.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 163% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caloocan

$86 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 10.3% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Caloocan

$67 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 61.8% $41

Eating Out

Caloocan

$50 10%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 56.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Caloocan

$15 3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 234% $35

Getting Around

Caloocan

$2.7 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2207% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $209 in Caloocan versus $482 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 92% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Caloocan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $158 vs $234 – making Caloocan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Caloocan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:20 12:20 AM

23:20 11:20 PM

1 h behind Caloocan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,661,584

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Caloocan Chiang Mai 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Caloocan
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 89% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $743 per month in Caloocan 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 Caloocan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $209 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

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

Groceries cost about 48% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Caloocan, where all-in costs run around $496, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Caloocan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Caloocan. 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.