Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $755 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
Learn more

Baguio Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $906 in Chiang Mai versus $755 in Baguio.

Chiang Mai $906
Baguio $755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,385 in Chiang Mai versus $1,183 in Baguio.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Baguio $1,183

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,864 in Chiang Mai versus $1,611 in Baguio.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Baguio $1,611

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 20% more expensive than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 32% lower, Baguio 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$3.97 ₱249

-46.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$16.85 ₱1,057

15.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$2.76 ₱173

98.19%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$1.84 ₱115

-8.70%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$0.60 ₱37.75

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$0.34 ₱21.40

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$1.01 ₱63.6

139.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$1.64 ₱103

127.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$1.69 ₱106

21.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$1.13 ₱70.9

29.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$1.03 ₱64.5

31.07%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$2.02 ₱126

12.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$4.96 ₱311

228.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$3.37 ₱211

-19.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$7.68 ₱482

19.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$2.31 ₱145

3.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$1.60 ₱100

-35.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$2.33 ₱146

-31.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$1.08 ₱67.5

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$1.67 ₱104

-22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$1.72 ₱108

-35.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$0.67 ₱41.91

4.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$0.53 ₱33.15

-3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$2.98 ₱187

38.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$8.72 ₱547

103.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$0.97 ₱61.1

68.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$2.08 ₱130

37.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$0.25 ₱15.73

244.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$12.66 ₱794

319.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$0.83 ₱52.0

46.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$0.25 ₱15.78

124.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

$1.89 ₱119

22.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.25 ₱78.7

20.00%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

-1.34%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

38.10%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$142 ₱8,910

-56.88%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$17.90 ₱1,122

-30.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$23.77 ₱1,491

-14.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$21.07 ₱1,322

80.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$5.18 ₱325

-27.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$5.15 ₱323

28.16%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$132 ₱8,307

484.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$10.8K ₱675.4K

34.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$29.14 ₱1,827

88.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$19.94 ₱1,251

26.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$73.0 ₱4,578

24.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$55.5 ₱3,480

32.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$403 ₱25.3K

13.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$195 ₱12.2K

50.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$824 ₱51.7K

11.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$460 ₱28.9K

19.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$2,677 ₱167.9K

-28.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$928 ₱58.2K

55.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$185 ₱11.6K

220.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.75

-17.48%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Baguio

$195 25.8% 33.8% $99

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Baguio

$175 23.2% 25.9% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Baguio

$80 10.6% 27.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Baguio

$184 24.4% 95.2% $90

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Baguio

$74 9.8% 4% $3.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 74% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 38.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $459 in Chiang Mai and $403 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 221% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $17.00 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $175 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

18:33 6:33 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

366,358

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Baguio 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Baguio

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 Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 221% higher in Chiang Mai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $459 in Chiang Mai versus $403 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $906 per month in Chiang Mai versus $755 in Baguio – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 320% less than in Chiang Mai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $755 in Baguio versus $906 in Chiang Mai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baguio but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Baguio the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Baguio delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $755 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Baguio hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Baguio are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baguio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.