Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Caloocan

For one person, living is cheaper in Caloocan: $496 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Caloocan
Learn more

Caloocan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Caloocan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $496 in Caloocan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Caloocan $496

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $665 in Caloocan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Caloocan $665

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $834 in Caloocan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Caloocan $834

Chiang Mai costs about 89% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Caloocan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Caloocan 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.70 ₱172

-17.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$16.45 ₱1,048

15.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.26 ₱144

145.58%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$0.84 ₱53.3

98.81%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.39 ₱25.07

64.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.32 ₱20.70

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.01 ₱64.3

133.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.59 ₱101

130.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.65 ₱105

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.11 ₱70.7

29.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.99 ₱63.1

34.34%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.79 ₱114

27.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.93 ₱314

233.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.32 ₱212

-16.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.69 ₱490

21.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.23 ₱142

5.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.97 ₱61.5

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.34 ₱149

-31.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.04 ₱66.6

44.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.06 ₱67.8

20.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.77 ₱113

-37.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.65 ₱41.39

9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.46 ₱29.15

6.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.82 ₱180

46.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.82 ₱307

263.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.96 ₱61.2

67.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.02 ₱129

37.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.20 ₱12.69

335.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.77 ₱49.01

50.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.22 ₱13.97

140.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.85 ₱118

30.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.07 ₱68.0

35.51%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$21.4K ₱1.4M

-1.41%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

40.53%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$53.6 ₱3,416

15.99%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.42 ₱600

29.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$22.59 ₱1,439

-10.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$4.82 ₱307

674.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.12 ₱326

26.76%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$130 ₱8,279

466.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$10.6K ₱673.2K

39.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$28.20 ₱1,797

89.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$19.52 ₱1,244

26.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$53.9 ₱3,432

69.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$47.64 ₱3,035

51.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$209 ₱13.3K

130.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$118 ₱7,491

162.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$307 ₱19.6K

92.01%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Caloocan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Caloocan

$118 23.7% 61.9% $191

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Caloocan

$158 31.9% 32.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Caloocan

$67 13.6% 38.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Caloocan

$86 17.3% 9.4% $8.8

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Caloocan

$50 10% 36.2% $28

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Caloocan

$2.7 * 0.5% 95.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Caloocan

$15 3% 70% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $209 in Caloocan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 92% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $16 in Caloocan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $158 – making Caloocan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Caloocan

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

11:00 11:00 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,661,584

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Caloocan 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Caloocan

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 Caloocan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 89% more than Caloocan, 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 $743 in Caloocan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caloocan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $209 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $16 in Caloocan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Caloocan, where all-in costs run around $496, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Caloocan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Caloocan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.