Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bayawan City Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bayawan City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $950 in Chiang Mai versus $757 in Bayawan City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,430 in Chiang Mai versus $1,173 in Bayawan City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,909 in Chiang Mai versus $1,588 in Bayawan City.

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 26% more expensive than in Bayawan City, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bayawan City 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.10 ฿69.0

$3.07 ₱191

-31.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.84 ฿653

$23.13 ₱1,442

-14.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 ฿190

$3.99 ₱249

45.11%

Cappuccino

$1.83 ฿60.1

$2.61 ₱163

-29.89%

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

$0.78 ฿25.49

$0.62 ₱38.97

25.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.51 ₱31.61

-39.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 ฿76.8

$1.78 ₱111

31.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ฿122

$2.28 ₱142

62.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 ฿66.8

$1.80 ₱112

12.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ฿52.5

$1.17 ₱72.7

36.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.53

$0.68 ₱42.19

108.82%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿71.6

$1.98 ₱123

10.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 ฿523

$10.11 ₱630

57.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.07 ฿101

$4.59 ₱286

-33.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.87 ฿324

$7.50 ₱468

31.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 ฿86.4

$3.39 ₱212

-22.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ฿36.02

$1.39 ₱87.0

-20.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿53.6

$2.40 ₱150

-32.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿50.3

$1.48 ₱92.1

3.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿40.93

$2.38 ₱149

-47.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ฿37.19

$1.93 ₱120

-41.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ฿24.26

$1.19 ₱74.4

-37.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.40

$0.63 ₱39.23

-20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 ฿141

$2.98 ₱186

43.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.97 ฿591

$4.73 ₱295

279.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ฿55.8

$0.81 ₱50.7

109.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ฿95.2

$1.68 ₱105

72.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ฿30.97

$0.27 ₱16.93

248.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.3 ฿1,818

$11.04 ₱688

400.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ฿40.56

$0.79 ₱49.48

55.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.57

$0.21 ₱13.03

152.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 ฿78.9

$1.93 ₱121

24.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.32

$1.14 ₱71.0

26.32%

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

$21.2K ฿696.8K

$21.6K ₱1.3M

-2.00%

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

$27.3K ฿897.8K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

40.89%

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

$64.9 ฿2,135

$121 ₱7,568

-46.50%

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

$13.35 ฿439

$14.81 ₱923

-9.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.83 ฿685

$28.41 ₱1,771

-26.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 ฿1,329

$31.58 ₱1,969

27.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.95 ฿130

$4.74 ₱296

-16.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿221

$1.65 ₱103

306.67%

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

$787 ฿25.9K

$136 ₱8,461

480.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ฿497.2K

$8,050 ₱502.0K

87.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 ฿1,849

$32.31 ₱2,015

74.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.95 ฿820

$19.35 ₱1,206

28.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 ฿3,048

$76.8 ₱4,790

20.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 ฿2,470

$56.8 ₱3,543

32.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$484 ฿15.9K

$266 ₱16.6K

82.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 ฿9,446

$174 ₱10.8K

65.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 ฿29.9K

$504 ₱31.4K

80.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$531 ฿17.4K

$351 ₱21.9K

50.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 ฿65.1K

$2,597 ₱162.0K

-23.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,451 ฿47.7K

$1,060 ₱66.1K

36.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$605 ฿19.9K

$114 ₱7,088

432.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.2

-22.64%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: September 7, 2026

Last update for Bayawan City: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $484 in Chiang Mai and $266 in Bayawan City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 433% 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: $20.00 in Chiang Mai vs $23.00 in Bayawan City. Groceries flip the comparison at $242 vs $199, with Bayawan City cheaper for home cooking.

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 Bayawan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai and Bayawan City differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($950 vs $757 including rent). Bayawan City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 433% 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: $484 in Chiang Mai versus $266 in Bayawan City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayawan City – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $757 in Bayawan City versus $950 in Chiang Mai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bayawan City but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Bayawan City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Bayawan City 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 Bayawan City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.