Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cavite and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Cavite: $564 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Cavite, Philippines
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Cavite
🇵🇭 Philippines
$564
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $564 per month in Cavite vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Cavite $564
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $879 per month in Cavite vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Cavite $879
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,194 per month in Cavite vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Cavite $1,194
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Cavite is about 40% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cavite and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Cavite 59% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cavite
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.34 ₱149
$2.24 ฿75.6
4.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.86 ₱1,011
$19.00 ฿641
-16.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.26 ₱144
$5.55 ฿187
-59.28%
Cappuccino
$1.77 ₱113
$1.67 ฿56.5
5.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₱37.22
$0.64 ฿21.54
-9.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ₱21.13
$0.31 ฿10.31
6.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.95 ₱60.4
$2.36 ฿79.5
-59.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₱98.4
$3.66 ฿124
-57.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cavite
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 ₱87.8
$1.95 ฿65.7
-29.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.09 ₱69.4
$1.44 ฿48.46
-24.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.89 ₱56.7
$1.33 ฿45.03
-33.08%
Eggs
$1.95 ₱124
$2.28 ฿77.1
-14.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.10 ₱325
$16.45 ฿555
-69.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ₱217
$2.78 ฿93.9
22.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.12 ₱390
$9.31 ฿314
-34.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.03 ₱130
$2.35 ฿79.4
-13.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.06 ₱67.5
$0.97 ฿32.79
9.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.34 ₱149
$1.60 ฿53.9
46.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.05 ₱67.2
$1.50 ฿50.6
-30.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.66 ₱106
$1.28 ฿43.11
29.69%
Onion (1kg)
$1.45 ₱92.2
$1.10 ฿37.18
31.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.49 ₱31.14
$0.71 ฿23.82
-30.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ₱30.55
$0.49 ฿16.36
-2.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.99 ₱127
$4.14 ฿140
-51.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.61 ₱294
$17.52 ฿591
-73.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 ₱58.6
$1.61 ฿54.5
-42.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 ₱81.1
$2.78 ฿93.9
-54.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Cavite
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.87 ฿29.30
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$13.30 ₱848
$54.1 ฿1,825
-75.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.65 ₱41.63
$1.16 ฿39.04
-43.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.24 ₱15.31
$0.53 ฿17.80
-54.72%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.93 ₱123
$2.42 ฿81.7
-20.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 ₱74.3
$1.45 ฿48.88
-19.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.6K ₱1.3M
$21.1K ฿710.5K
-2.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.2K ₱1.2M
$26.9K ฿909.0K
-28.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cavite
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.2 ₱5,618
$62.2 ฿2,098
41.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.52 ₱862
$12.17 ฿411
11.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.40 ₱1,491
$20.12 ฿679
16.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cavite
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.02 ₱2,933
$37.31 ฿1,259
23.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.03 ₱320
$6.49 ฿219
-22.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cavite
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$131 ₱8,364
$736 ฿24.8K
-82.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K ₱677.9K
$14.8K ฿498.2K
-27.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cavite
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.81 ₱1,836
$53.4 ฿1,801
-46.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.03 ₱1,213
$24.64 ฿831
-22.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.4 ₱4,551
$91.5 ฿3,087
-21.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.4 ₱3,467
$71.9 ฿2,427
-24.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cavite
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$134 ₱8,532
$482 ฿16.3K
-72.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$81.0 ₱5,164
$309 ฿10.4K
-73.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$238 ₱15.2K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-76.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$191 ₱12.2K
$633 ฿21.4K
-69.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,363 ฿79.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cavite
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$222 ₱14.1K
$590 ฿19.9K
-62.38%
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 Cavite: 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
Cavite
$150
Chiang Mai
$234 56.4% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cavite
$125
Chiang Mai
$94 24.5% $31
Accommodation & Living
Cavite
$81
Chiang Mai
$309 281% $228
Clothing & Footwear
Cavite
$78
Chiang Mai
$109 39% $30
Eating Out
Cavite
$58
Chiang Mai
$78 33.3% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Cavite
$56
Chiang Mai
$50 10.3% $5.8
Getting Around
Cavite
$15 *
Chiang Mai
$61 305% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $134 in Cavite 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 in Chiang Mai are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Cavite versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $150 vs $234 – making Cavite the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cavite
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
15:48 3:48 PM
14:48 2:48 PM
1 h behind Cavite
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
100,674
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cavite Chiang Mai 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cavite
  • 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
Cavite vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cavite cheaper than Chiang Mai?
Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $845 per month in Cavite and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cavite, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $134 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
What are total monthly expenses in Cavite and in Chiang Mai?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $564 in Cavite and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Cavite about 40% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 75% less in Cavite. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is Cavite or Chiang Mai more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Cavite – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cavite. 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.

Cavite vs other spots: cost of living compared

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