Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and General Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in General Santos: $628 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in General Santos
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General Santos Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

General Santos

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in General Santos

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $628 in General Santos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
General Santos $628

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,009 in General Santos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
General Santos $1,009

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,391 in General Santos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
General Santos $1,391

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than General Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and General Santos are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, General Santos 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$3.38 ₱213

-33.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$27.40 ₱1,725

-30.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$2.72 ₱172

105.51%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.56 ₱161

-32.81%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.28 ₱17.41

128.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.25 ₱15.83

32.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.58 ₱99.3

49.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.34 ₱147

66.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.00 ₱126

2.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.08 ₱68.2

29.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$0.87 ₱54.7

47.13%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.86 ₱117

20.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$6.38 ₱402

165.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$4.77 ₱300

-42.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$9.25 ₱582

1.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.74 ₱172

-12.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.07 ₱67.2

-5.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.45 ₱154

-34.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.19 ₱74.6

27.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.98 ₱125

-35.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$3.28 ₱207

-66.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.24 ₱78.2

-41.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.68 ₱42.60

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.46 ₱155

76.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.76 ₱488

128.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.25 ₱78.5

30.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.68 ₱106

69.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.39 ₱24.37

117.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$8.15 ₱513

561.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.78 ₱49.25

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.25 ₱15.79

128.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$0.82 ₱51.4

189.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.12 ₱70.7

29.46%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

-1.89%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

38.67%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$76.6 ₱4,825

-18.67%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$6.53 ₱411

87.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$31.67 ₱1,994

-36.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$4.91 ₱309

36.66%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$109 ₱6,840

633.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$7,532 ₱474.2K

96.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$59.8 ₱3,767

-11.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$30.67 ₱1,931

-18.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$70.3 ₱4,428

30.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$60.7 ₱3,823

20.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$174 ₱11.0K

166.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$112 ₱7,068

171.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$359 ₱22.6K

155.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$238 ₱15.0K

131.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.31

-32.97%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for General Santos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

General Santos

$112 17.9% 63.2% $192

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

General Santos

$199 31.7% 16.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

General Santos

$100 15.9% 9% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

General Santos

$115 18.3% 21.4% $20

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

General Santos

$81 12.8% 2% $1.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

General Santos

$12 1.9% 80.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

General Santos

$9.8 * 1.6% 80.9% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $174 in General Santos. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $27.00 in General Santos. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $199 in General Santos – so General Santos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 General Santos

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

15:19 3:19 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

697,315

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai General Santos 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
General Santos

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 General Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than General Santos, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $942 in General Santos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in General Santos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $109 in General Santos. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in General Santos, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In General Santos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. General Santos costs $628 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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