Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bayawan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayawan City: $742 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Bayawan City
Learn more

Bayawan City Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bayawan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Bayawan City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $742 in Bayawan City.

Chiang Mai $936
Bayawan City $742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,154 in Bayawan City.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bayawan City $1,154

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,566 in Bayawan City.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bayawan City $1,566

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 26% more expensive than in Bayawan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$4.00 ₱255

-44.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$23.86 ₱1,523

-20.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.85 ₱246

44.16%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.50 ₱160

-33.20%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.67 ₱42.83

-4.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.46 ₱29.47

-32.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.4

$1.69 ₱108

39.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.14 ₱137

71.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.6

$1.68 ₱107

16.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.39

$1.10 ₱70.1

30.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.96

$0.66 ₱41.86

101.52%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿76.9

$2.00 ₱128

14.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$9.65 ₱616

70.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.7

$4.47 ₱285

-37.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.58 ₱484

22.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$3.20 ₱204

-26.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.32 ₱84.2

-26.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.32 ₱148

-31.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.44 ₱91.7

4.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.05

$2.41 ₱154

-46.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.13

$1.95 ₱125

-43.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.78

$1.10 ₱70.3

-35.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.63 ₱40.54

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.90 ₱185

42.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$4.71 ₱300

271.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.81 ₱51.8

98.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.72 ₱110

61.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.26

$0.22 ₱14.00

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,822

$13.28 ₱848

307.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿38.99

$0.79 ₱50.4

46.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.77

$0.20 ₱12.76

165.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$1.89 ₱121

28.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.81

$1.11 ₱70.8

30.63%

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

$21.1K ฿709.5K

$21.2K ₱1.4M

-0.82%

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

$26.9K ฿907.7K

$18.7K ₱1.2M

43.81%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$121 ₱7,715

-48.55%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$15.30 ₱977

-20.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$27.60 ₱1,762

-27.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$27.62 ₱1,764

35.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.26 ₱336

-28.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$1.52 ₱96.8

326.97%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$128 ₱8,157

476.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.4K

$7,767 ₱495.9K

90.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,798

$32.67 ₱2,086

63.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$19.05 ₱1,217

29.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,082

$74.5 ₱4,755

22.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$57.7 ₱3,686

24.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.2K

$216 ₱13.8K

122.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$166 ₱10.6K

86.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$473 ₱30.2K

112.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$348 ₱22.2K

82.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,998 ₱191.4K

-21.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.5K

$1,023 ₱65.3K

55.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$111 ₱7,087

431.29%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bayawan City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bayawan City

$166 22.3% 46.4% $143

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bayawan City

$193 26% 17.7% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bayawan City

$83 11.2% 23.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bayawan City

$164 22.1% 73.3% $69

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bayawan City

$91 12.2% 17% $13

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bayawan City

$16 2.2% 74% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bayawan City

$31 4.1% 39% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $216 in Bayawan City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $24 in Bayawan City. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $193, with Bayawan City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Bayawan City

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

11:28 11:28 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

122,747

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 63.85 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bayawan City 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bayawan City

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 Bayawan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $742 in Bayawan City, so Bayawan City is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Chiang Mai is about 5.3 times higher, 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: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $216 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 Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $24 in Bayawan City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bayawan City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Bayawan City wins on affordability, Chiang Mai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.