Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dumaguete

For one person, living is cheaper in Dumaguete: $790 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Dumaguete
Learn more

Dumaguete Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Dumaguete

🇵🇭 Philippines

$790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $790 in Dumaguete, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Dumaguete $790

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,195 in Dumaguete, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Dumaguete $1,195

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,600 in Dumaguete, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Dumaguete $1,600

Chiang Mai costs about 18% more than Dumaguete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Dumaguete are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Dumaguete 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.82 ₱243

-41.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$15.47 ₱986

22.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.23 ₱269

31.21%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.22 ₱141

-24.77%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.72 ₱45.57

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.43 ₱27.09

-27.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.37 ₱87.2

72.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.83 ₱116

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.66 ₱106

17.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.31 ₱83.6

9.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.92 ₱58.8

44.57%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.79 ₱114

27.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.57 ₱546

91.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.40 ₱280

-36.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.86 ₱437

35.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.54 ₱97.9

52.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.27 ₱81.1

-23.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.44 ₱219

-53.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.28 ₱81.3

17.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$2.52 ₱160

-49.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.58 ₱100

-30.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.81 ₱51.9

-12.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.57 ₱36.26

-14.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.32 ₱148

78.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.45 ₱538

107.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.14 ₱72.5

41.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.27 ₱81.0

118.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.30 ₱19.06

190.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$11.33 ₱722

377.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.69 ₱43.87

68.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.15 ₱9.41

253.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$2.13 ₱135

13.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.09 ₱69.6

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$20.2K ₱1.3M

4.10%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

41.55%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$66.5 ₱4,234

-6.44%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.65 ₱615

26.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$26.12 ₱1,664

-22.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$31.13 ₱1,984

19.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$3.83 ₱244

-1.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.19 ₱458

-9.74%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$56.4 ₱3,597

1204.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$1,650 ₱105.1K

794.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$93.0 ₱5,928

-42.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$31.24 ₱1,990

-21.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$100 ₱6,393

-8.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$111 ₱7,043

-34.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$233 ₱14.9K

106.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$202 ₱12.9K

52.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$416 ₱26.5K

141.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$344 ₱21.9K

84.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$3,045 ₱194.0K

-22.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$674 ₱43.0K

135.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$278 ₱17.7K

112.30%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dumaguete: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Dumaguete

$202 25.6% 34.5% $107

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Dumaguete

$190 24.1% 18.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Dumaguete

$151 19.1% 38.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dumaguete

$102 12.9% 8.2% $7.8

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Dumaguete

$85 10.8% 9.4% $7.3

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Dumaguete

$14 1.8% 77.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Dumaguete

$46 5.8% 9.5% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $233 in Dumaguete. 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 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $15 in Dumaguete. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $190 – making Dumaguete the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Dumaguete

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

10:51 10:51 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

134,103

💱 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Dumaguete 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dumaguete

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 Dumaguete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 18% more than Dumaguete, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,185 in Dumaguete. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dumaguete, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $56 in Dumaguete. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $790 in Dumaguete, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dumaguete costs $790 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Dumaguete. 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.