Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bacolod

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacolod: $598 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bacolod

🇵🇭 Philippines

$598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Bacolod

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $598 in Bacolod, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Bacolod $598

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $867 in Bacolod, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bacolod $867

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,135 in Bacolod, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bacolod $1,135

Chiang Mai costs about 56% more than Bacolod, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Bacolod are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bacolod 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.36 ₱150

-5.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$12.74 ₱808

49.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.90 ₱247

42.31%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.30 ₱146

-27.39%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.67 ₱42.59

-4.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.36 ₱23.09

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.31 ₱83.1

80.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$1.84 ₱117

98.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.50 ₱95.1

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.09 ₱69.3

32.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.95 ₱60.4

40.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.58 ₱100

44.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$8.64 ₱548

90.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.47 ₱410

-57.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$3.45 ₱219

-31.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$2.39 ₱152

-59.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.56 ₱35.64

167.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.97 ₱125

-44.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.00 ₱63.6

-51.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.73 ₱173

51.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.88 ₱55.5

82.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.17 ₱10.58

411.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$0.65 ₱41.09

78.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.25 ₱79.1

16.00%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

-0.98%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$22.9K ₱1.4M

17.77%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$137 ₱8,713

-54.78%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$7.72 ₱489

57.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$27.18 ₱1,723

-25.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$15.83 ₱1,003

135.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$2.33 ₱148

61.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.44 ₱282

46.17%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$31.16 ₱1,975

2262.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$257 ₱16.3K

87.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$178 ₱11.3K

73.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$466 ₱29.5K

116.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$339 ₱21.5K

86.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$202 ₱12.8K

192.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bacolod: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bacolod

–

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bacolod

–

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bacolod

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bacolod

–

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bacolod

–

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bacolod

–

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bacolod

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $257 in Bacolod. 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 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $13 in Bacolod. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $149 – making Bacolod the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Bacolod

🕒 Local time

12:14 12:14 PM

13:14 1:14 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

561,875

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.04 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Bacolod 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bacolod

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $598 in Bacolod – Bacolod comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $898 in Bacolod. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacolod, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $257 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $13 in Bacolod. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $598 in Bacolod, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bacolod costs $598 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Bacolod. 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.