Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bulacan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $628 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bulacan
Learn more

Bulacan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $628 in Bulacan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Bulacan $628

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $904 in Bulacan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Bulacan $904

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,180 in Bulacan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Bulacan $1,180

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Bulacan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bulacan 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$2.34 ₱148

-8.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$14.45 ₱917

28.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$1.85 ₱117

202.70%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.70 ₱108

-2.35%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.45 ₱28.51

44.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.15 ₱9.59

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.13 ₱72.0

105.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$1.31 ₱83.1

180.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.40 ₱88.7

44.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.09 ₱69.2

29.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$0.90 ₱57.2

54.44%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.53 ₱97.3

54.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$2.36 ₱150

600.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$3.16 ₱200

-15.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$6.63 ₱421

36.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.18 ₱139

10.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.70 ₱108

-38.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.22 ₱141

-25.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.27 ₱80.8

22.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.55 ₱98.6

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$1.76 ₱111

-38.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.61 ₱38.78

24.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.35 ₱22.25

45.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.82 ₱243

7.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$3.48 ₱221

415.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.01 ₱64.2

60.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.37 ₱86.9

105.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.20 ₱12.77

365.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$6.73 ₱427

685.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$0.73 ₱46.40

61.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.18 ₱11.13

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$1.84 ₱117

-1.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.20 ₱76.5

22.50%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

0.56%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

35.94%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$115 ₱7,292

-45.53%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$17.51 ₱1,112

-33.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$31.15 ₱1,977

-34.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$47.30 ₱3,003

-19.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$4.82 ₱306

35.06%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$78.2 ₱4,964

829.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$932 ₱59.2K

1678.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$30.99 ₱1,967

72.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$32.20 ₱2,044

-22.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$62.4 ₱3,963

44.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$62.6 ₱3,972

15.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$181 ₱11.5K

165.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$116 ₱7,340

168.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$252 ₱16.0K

320.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$155 ₱9,855

324.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-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 Bulacan: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Bulacan

$116 18.4% 62.7% $194

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Bulacan

$143 22.8% 39.5% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Bulacan

$85 13.5% 21.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bulacan

$164 26% 73.1% $69

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Bulacan

$55 8.8% 27.8% $21

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Bulacan

$9.1 1.5% 84.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Bulacan

$57 9.1% 11.8% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $181 in Bulacan. 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 $14 in Bulacan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $143 – making Bulacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,700,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.49 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.17 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bulacan 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bulacan

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 Bulacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $943 in Bulacan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bulacan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $181 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $628 in Bulacan. That makes Bulacan about 33% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 87% less in Bulacan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bulacan, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Bulacan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bulacan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Bulacan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 33% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.