Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cavite

For one person, living is cheaper in Cavite: $564 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Cavite
Learn more

Cavite Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cavite

🇵🇭 Philippines

$564

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $564 in Cavite, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Cavite $564

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $879 in Cavite, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cavite $879

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,194 in Cavite, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cavite $1,194

Chiang Mai costs about 66% more than Cavite, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Cavite are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Cavite 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.34 ₱149

-4.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$15.86 ₱1,010

19.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.26 ₱144

145.58%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.77 ₱113

-5.65%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.58 ₱37.20

10.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.33 ₱21.12

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.95 ₱60.3

148.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.54 ₱98.4

137.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.38 ₱87.8

41.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.09 ₱69.4

32.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.89 ₱56.7

49.44%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.95 ₱124

16.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.10 ₱325

222.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.40 ₱217

-18.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.12 ₱390

52.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.03 ₱130

15.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.06 ₱67.5

-8.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.34 ₱149

-31.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.05 ₱67.2

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.66 ₱106

-22.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.45 ₱92.1

-24.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.49 ₱31.13

44.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.48 ₱30.54

2.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.99 ₱127

108.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.61 ₱294

280.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.92 ₱58.6

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.27 ₱81.1

118.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$13.30 ₱847

306.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.65 ₱41.61

78.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.24 ₱15.31

120.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.93 ₱123

25.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.17 ₱74.3

23.93%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$20.6K ₱1.3M

2.42%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

40.06%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$88.2 ₱5,616

-29.49%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$13.52 ₱861

-9.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$23.40 ₱1,491

-14.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$46.02 ₱2,931

-18.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.03 ₱320

29.03%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$131 ₱8,360

460.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$10.6K ₱677.6K

38.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$28.81 ₱1,835

85.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$19.03 ₱1,212

29.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$71.4 ₱4,549

28.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$54.4 ₱3,466

32.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$134 ₱8,528

260.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$81.0 ₱5,161

281.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$238 ₱15.2K

322.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$191 ₱12.2K

231.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$222 ₱14.1K

165.80%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Cavite: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cavite

$81 14.4% 73.8% $228

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cavite

$150 26.6% 36.1% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cavite

$78 13.9% 28.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cavite

$125 22.2% 32.4% $31

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cavite

$58 10.3% 25% $19

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cavite

$15 * 2.7% 75.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cavite

$56 10% 11.5% $5.8

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 $134 in Cavite. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $16 in Cavite. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $150 – making Cavite the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Cavite

🕒 Local time

11:47 11:47 AM

12:47 12:47 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

100,674

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Cavite

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 Cavite: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $845 in Cavite. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cavite, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $134 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $564 in Cavite. That makes Cavite about 40% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Cavite. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

If budget matters most, go with Cavite. 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.