Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Imus

For one person, living is cheaper in Imus: $657 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Imus
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Imus Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Imus

🇵🇭 Philippines

$657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $657 in Imus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Imus $657

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $978 in Imus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Imus $978

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,299 in Imus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Imus $1,299

Chiang Mai costs about 41% more than Imus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Imus are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Imus 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$4.01 ₱252

-42.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$16.46 ₱1,037

19.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$2.88 ₱181

94.79%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.88 ₱118

-11.70%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.61 ₱38.33

14.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.33 ₱20.94

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.03 ₱64.7

133.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$1.64 ₱103

126.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.67 ₱105

16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.11 ₱69.9

27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.01 ₱63.5

29.70%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.01 ₱126

8.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$5.11 ₱322

225.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$3.36 ₱212

-17.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$7.91 ₱498

15.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.31 ₱145

3.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.59 ₱100

-35.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.42 ₱152

-32.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.84 ₱116

-18.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.69 ₱106

-23.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.80 ₱113

-38.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.65 ₱41.04

10.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.49 ₱30.78

8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.04 ₱191

41.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$9.02 ₱568

99.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.09 ₱68.5

44.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.06 ₱130

37.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.24 ₱15.01

258.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$11.10 ₱699

380.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.79 ₱49.64

53.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.23 ₱14.51

147.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$1.89 ₱119

24.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.20 ₱75.5

20.00%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

-1.91%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

38.86%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$125 ₱7,863

-50.09%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$15.76 ₱992

-23.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$23.73 ₱1,494

-15.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$33.01 ₱2,078

12.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$4.61 ₱290

-18.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$5.16 ₱325

25.97%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$132 ₱8,307

500.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$9,101 ₱573.0K

62.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$28.92 ₱1,821

85.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$19.90 ₱1,253

23.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$73.0 ₱4,593

24.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$54.7 ₱3,441

30.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$118 ₱7,400

287.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$99.7 ₱6,275

198.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$201 ₱12.7K

351.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$169 ₱10.6K

228.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$2,374 ₱149.5K

-18.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$978 ₱61.6K

47.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$174 ₱10.9K

239.76%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Imus: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Imus

$100 15.2% 66.5% $198

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Imus

$180 27.5% 23.4% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Imus

$79 12.1% 26.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Imus

$164 25% 74.2% $70

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Imus

$75 11.5% 4.1% $3.2

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Imus

$14 2.1% 77% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Imus

$43 6.6% 13.4% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $118 in Imus. 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 240% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $16.00 in Imus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $180 – making Imus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Imus

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

496,794

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Imus 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Imus

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 Imus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 41% more than Imus, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $985 in Imus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $132 in Imus. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Imus, where all-in costs run around $657, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Imus 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. Imus costs $657 versus $925 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 Imus. 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.