Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Magallanes, Cavite

For one person, living is cheaper in Magallanes, Cavite: $713 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Magallanes, Cavite
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Magallanes, Cavite Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Magallanes, Cavite

🇵🇭 Philippines

$713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Magallanes, 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 Magallanes, Cavite actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $713 in Magallanes, Cavite, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Magallanes, Cavite $713

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,080 in Magallanes, Cavite, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Magallanes, Cavite $1,080

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,447 in Magallanes, Cavite, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Magallanes, Cavite $1,447

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Magallanes, Cavite, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Magallanes, Cavite are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Magallanes, Cavite 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$3.64 ₱233

-38.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$14.70 ₱941

29.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.80 ₱179

98.21%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.96 ₱126

-14.80%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.57 ₱36.58

12.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.29 ₱18.70

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.22 ₱78.0

93.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.23 ₱143

64.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.59 ₱102

22.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.11 ₱70.8

29.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.83 ₱53.4

60.24%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.07 ₱132

10.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$4.95 ₱316

232.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.16 ₱266

-33.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.04 ₱451

32.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.60 ₱166

-9.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.53 ₱98.0

-36.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.39 ₱153

-33.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.99 ₱63.1

51.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$2.12 ₱136

-39.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$2.53 ₱162

-56.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.02 ₱65.4

-30.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.49 ₱31.47

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.06 ₱196

35.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$8.29 ₱531

111.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.86 ₱55.1

87.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.05 ₱131

35.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.22 ₱14.29

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$12.61 ₱807

328.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$0.86 ₱55.0

34.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.25 ₱16.15

112.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$1.89 ₱121

28.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.14 ₱73.3

27.19%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$23.2K ₱1.5M

-9.32%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$18.2K ₱1.2M

48.11%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$107 ₱6,868

-42.07%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$15.05 ₱963

-19.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$20.86 ₱1,335

-3.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$34.97 ₱2,238

6.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.18 ₱331

-27.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.23 ₱335

24.09%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$116 ₱7,401

536.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$8,141 ₱521.0K

81.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$34.42 ₱2,203

55.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$21.19 ₱1,356

16.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$61.0 ₱3,905

49.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$46.67 ₱2,987

54.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$269 ₱17.2K

78.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$182 ₱11.6K

69.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$535 ₱34.2K

88.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$355 ₱22.7K

78.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,864 ₱183.3K

-17.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,152 ₱73.7K

37.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.92

-19.51%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Magallanes, Cavite: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Magallanes, Cavite

$182 25.5% 41.1% $127

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Magallanes, Cavite

$178 25% 23.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Magallanes, Cavite

$73 10.3% 32.4% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Magallanes, Cavite

$143 20.1% 51.6% $49

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Magallanes, Cavite

$75 10.5% 3.2% $2.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Magallanes, Cavite

$16 2.2% 74.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Magallanes, Cavite

$45 6.4% 9.6% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $269 in Magallanes, Cavite. 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 in Chiang Mai versus $15 in Magallanes, Cavite. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $178 – making Magallanes, Cavite the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Magallanes, Cavite

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

11:10 11:10 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

23,851

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.24 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Magallanes, 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 Magallanes, Cavite: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Magallanes, Cavite, 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 $1,070 in Magallanes, Cavite. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Magallanes, Cavite, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $269 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $116 in Magallanes, Cavite. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Magallanes, Cavite, where all-in costs run around $713, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Magallanes, Cavite it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Magallanes, Cavite is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 24% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.