Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cauayan City and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Cauayan City: $713 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cauayan City
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Cauayan City Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cauayan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$713

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $713 per month in Cauayan City vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cauayan City $713
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,058 per month in Cauayan City vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cauayan City $1,058
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,403 per month in Cauayan City vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cauayan City $1,403
Chiang Mai $1,979

Cauayan City is about 24% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cauayan City and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Cauayan City 48% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 ₱249

$2.24 ฿75.7

74.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.18 ₱1,034

$19.00 ฿642

-14.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.74 ₱175

$5.55 ฿188

-50.63%

Cappuccino

$1.73 ₱110

$1.67 ฿56.6

3.59%

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

$0.60 ₱38.16

$0.64 ฿21.56

-6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₱21.43

$0.31 ฿10.32

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱59.9

$2.36 ฿79.6

-60.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ₱97.2

$3.66 ฿124

-58.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₱105

$1.95 ฿65.8

-15.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱72.8

$1.44 ฿48.51

-20.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.0

$1.33 ฿45.07

-23.31%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱128

$2.28 ฿77.1

-12.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.05 ₱323

$16.45 ฿556

-69.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ₱211

$2.78 ฿94.0

18.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 ₱496

$9.31 ฿314

-16.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$2.35 ฿79.5

-3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₱96.0

$0.97 ฿32.82

54.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ₱145

$1.60 ฿53.9

41.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.0

$1.50 ฿50.7

-32.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 ₱104

$1.28 ฿43.15

27.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 ₱107

$1.10 ฿37.22

51.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.39

$0.71 ฿23.84

-12.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.60

$0.49 ฿16.38

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 ₱184

$4.14 ฿140

-30.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.55 ₱546

$17.52 ฿592

-51.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱61.1

$1.61 ฿54.5

-40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₱124

$2.78 ฿94.0

-30.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.77

$0.87 ฿29.33

-77.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.13 ₱711

$54.1 ฿1,827

-79.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱49.03

$1.16 ฿39.08

-33.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.37

$0.53 ฿17.82

-54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱124

$2.42 ฿81.8

-19.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₱57.7

$1.45 ฿48.93

-37.93%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

0.76%

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

$18.6K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-30.94%

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

$136 ₱8,664

$62.2 ฿2,100

118.13%

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

$10.22 ₱653

$12.17 ฿411

-16.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.48 ₱1,436

$20.12 ฿680

11.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.76 ₱1,966

$37.31 ฿1,260

-17.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.94 ₱316

$3.77 ฿127

31.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 ₱318

$6.49 ฿219

-23.27%

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

$130 ₱8,337

$736 ฿24.9K

-82.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱685.9K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-27.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.90 ₱1,846

$53.4 ฿1,802

-45.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.42 ₱1,241

$24.64 ฿832

-21.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 ₱3,474

$91.5 ฿3,089

-40.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.1 ₱3,458

$71.9 ฿2,429

-24.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 ₱14.4K

$482 ฿16.3K

-53.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ₱11.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

-43.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$460 ₱29.4K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-54.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ₱20.9K

$633 ฿21.4K

-48.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,599 ₱166.1K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

9.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,133 ₱72.4K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-28.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Cauayan City: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cauayan City

$176 24.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 75.8% $133

Groceries & Markets

Cauayan City

$172 24.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 36.4% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cauayan City

$168 23.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 43.9% $74

Eating Out

Cauayan City

$72 10%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 8.4% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Cauayan City

$71 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 53.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Cauayan City

$41 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 23.4% $9.6

Getting Around

Cauayan City

$14 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 341% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $226 in Cauayan City 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Cauayan City versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $234 – making Cauayan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cauayan City

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

1 h behind Cauayan City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,616

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 = 2.66 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 = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 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

Cauayan City Chiang Mai 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cauayan City
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

Cauayan City vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $713 in Cauayan City, $936 in Chiang Mai – Cauayan City comes out roughly 24% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,069 per month in Cauayan City 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 Cauayan City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $130 per month in Cauayan City and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $713 in Cauayan City and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Cauayan City is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 24% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.