Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bacoor

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacoor: $801 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bacoor, Philippines
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Bacoor
🇵🇭 Philippines
$801
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bacoor actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $801 in Bacoor, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $935
  • Bacoor $801

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,215 in Bacoor, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,467
  • Bacoor $1,215

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,629 in Bacoor, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,999
  • Bacoor $1,629

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Bacoor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Bacoor are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bacoor 41% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Bacoor
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.13 ฿71.7
$4.70 ₱298
-54.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.62 ฿625
$17.95 ₱1,138
3.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.60 ฿188
$2.60 ₱165
115.38%
Cappuccino
$1.66 ฿55.9
$2.42 ₱154
-31.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 ฿21.73
$0.63 ₱39.86
3.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ฿10.24
$0.29 ₱18.53
3.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.32 ฿78.0
$1.08 ₱68.6
114.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.67 ฿123
$2.42 ₱153
51.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Bacoor
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.02 ฿67.7
$1.71 ₱108
18.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 ฿47.29
$0.86 ₱54.2
63.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.39 ฿46.75
$0.85 ₱53.8
63.53%
Eggs
$2.37 ฿79.5
$1.87 ₱118
26.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.52 ฿555
$4.61 ₱292
258.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.67 ฿89.7
$3.27 ₱207
-18.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.02 ฿303
$7.25 ₱459
24.41%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 ฿80.6
$2.46 ₱156
-2.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ฿34.98
$2.05 ₱130
-49.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 ฿55.7
$2.71 ₱171
-38.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.4
$0.92 ₱58.1
69.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 ฿41.57
$0.99 ₱62.6
25.25%
Onion (1kg)
$1.09 ฿36.50
$1.38 ₱87.2
-21.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 ฿25.59
$0.61 ₱38.93
24.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.27
$0.33 ₱20.87
54.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.12 ฿138
$2.82 ₱178
46.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.93 ฿602
$7.06 ₱447
153.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 ฿54.5
$0.46 ₱29.08
252.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 ฿94.8
$1.27 ₱80.7
122.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Bacoor
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.93 ฿31.39
$0.23 ₱14.39
304.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$52.9 ฿1,777
$12.27 ₱777
331.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.18 ฿39.52
$1.01 ₱64.1
16.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.17 ฿5.76
$0.22 ₱13.96
-22.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 ฿60.9
$1.88 ₱119
-3.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.47
$1.25 ₱79.4
17.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K ฿705.8K
$21.5K ₱1.4M
-2.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K ฿890.7K
$19.2K ₱1.2M
38.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Bacoor
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.6 ฿2,101
$94.9 ₱6,010
-34.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.60 ฿390
$14.93 ₱946
-22.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.30 ฿682
$24.21 ₱1,534
-16.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Bacoor
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.88 ฿1,272
$29.11 ₱1,844
30.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.70 ฿124
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.51 ฿219
$4.76 ₱302
36.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Bacoor
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$727 ฿24.4K
$261 ₱16.5K
178.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K ฿556.7K
$13.4K ₱848.8K
23.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Bacoor
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 ฿1,798
$39.26 ₱2,487
36.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.80 ฿833
$17.07 ₱1,081
45.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.4 ฿3,036
$69.8 ₱4,422
29.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.0 ฿2,418
$79.8 ₱5,054
-9.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Bacoor
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$481 ฿16.2K
$441 ₱27.9K
9.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$310 ฿10.4K
$273 ₱17.3K
13.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,058 ฿35.5K
$797 ₱50.5K
32.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$659 ฿22.1K
$518 ₱32.8K
27.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,418 ฿81.2K
$3,459 ₱219.1K
-30.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,609 ฿54.0K
$2,279 ₱144.4K
-29.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Bacoor
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$595 ฿20.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
7
-20.43%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bacoor: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$310
Bacoor
$273 12% $37
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$237
Bacoor
$160 32.6% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$108
Bacoor
$93 14.5% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Bacoor
$134 41.8% $40
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$77
Bacoor
$88 15.5% $12
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$59
Bacoor
$15 73.9% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$51
Bacoor
$39 24.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $441 in Bacoor. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $18 in Bacoor. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $160 – making Bacoor the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇵🇭 Bacoor
🕒 Local time
07:09 7:09 AM
08:09 8:09 AM
1 h ahead of Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
600,609
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 63.36 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.33 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Bacoor 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Bacoor

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 Bacoor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bacoor cheaper than Chiang Mai?
Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 17%, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,202 in Bacoor. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Chiang Mai and Bacoor?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Chiang Mai and $441 in Bacoor. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
How do food prices compare in Chiang Mai and in Bacoor?
Groceries cost about 48% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is eating out cheaper in Chiang Mai or in Bacoor?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $18 in Bacoor. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is Chiang Mai or Bacoor more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Bacoor – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Chiang Mai or Bacoor?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Bacoor is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 14% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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