Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Marawi

For one person, living is cheaper in Marawi: $718 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Marawi
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Marawi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Marawi

🇵🇭 Philippines

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $718 in Marawi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Marawi $718

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,100 in Marawi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Marawi $1,100

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,482 in Marawi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Marawi $1,482

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Marawi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Marawi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Marawi 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$3.97 ₱252

-46.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$16.15 ₱1,025

15.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$2.72 ₱173

105.88%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.13 ₱135

-22.07%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$0.69 ₱43.55

-5.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.33 ₱21.10

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$1.20 ₱76.3

93.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.02 ₱128

81.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.64 ₱104

23.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.09 ₱69.0

29.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$0.89 ₱56.2

56.18%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.86 ₱118

27.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$5.51 ₱350

199.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$4.21 ₱267

-36.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$7.15 ₱453

26.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.40 ₱152

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$1.56 ₱98.9

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.33 ₱148

-28.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.16 ₱73.5

34.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$2.12 ₱134

-41.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$2.19 ₱139

-50.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.09 ₱68.9

-30.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.56 ₱35.58

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.85 ₱181

44.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$7.30 ₱463

145.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$0.93 ₱58.8

74.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.91 ₱121

47.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.24 ₱15.26

287.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$12.57 ₱797

320.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$0.80 ₱50.5

47.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$0.20 ₱12.66

-15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$1.87 ₱118

-3.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.17 ₱74.5

25.64%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-1.35%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

38.25%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$119 ₱7,578

-47.62%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$15.62 ₱991

-25.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$24.25 ₱1,538

-16.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$30.78 ₱1,953

23.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$5.09 ₱323

-27.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$5.17 ₱328

25.92%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$130 ₱8,234

460.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$7,809 ₱495.4K

112.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$32.78 ₱2,080

63.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$19.34 ₱1,227

28.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$71.5 ₱4,537

26.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$54.6 ₱3,461

31.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$248 ₱15.7K

93.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$164 ₱10.4K

89.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$497 ₱31.6K

112.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$352 ₱22.3K

87.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$2,638 ₱167.4K

-8.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,089 ₱69.1K

47.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$277 ₱17.6K

115.01%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Marawi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Marawi

$164 22.8% 47.2% $146

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Marawi

$179 24.9% 24.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Marawi

$80 11.2% 26% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Marawi

$159 22.2% 68.6% $65

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Marawi

$80 11.1% 3.9% $3

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Marawi

$15 2.1% 73.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Marawi

$41 5.7% 19.2% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $248 in Marawi. 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 2.2 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 Marawi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $179 – making Marawi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Marawi

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

23:41 11:41 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

207,010

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.03 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Marawi 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Marawi

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 Marawi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Marawi, 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 $1,077 in Marawi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Marawi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $248 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $130 in Marawi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $718 in Marawi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Marawi – 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 Marawi. 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.