Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Negros

For one person, living is cheaper in Negros: $741 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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 Negros
Learn more

Negros Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Negros

🇵🇭 Philippines

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $741 in Negros, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Negros $741

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,093 in Negros, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Negros $1,093

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,445 in Negros, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Negros $1,445

Chiang Mai costs about 26% more than Negros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Negros are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Negros 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$3.22 ₱206

-30.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$11.88 ₱759

59.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.70 ₱172

105.56%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.38 ₱87.9

21.01%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.69 ₱44.19

-7.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.41 ₱25.99

-24.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.4

$1.14 ₱72.5

107.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$1.90 ₱121

92.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.6

$1.90 ₱122

2.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.39

$1.13 ₱72.4

27.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.96

$0.97 ₱61.8

37.11%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿76.9

$1.92 ₱123

18.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$9.50 ₱607

73.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.7

$4.35 ₱277

-36.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.27 ₱464

28.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$3.29 ₱210

-28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.35 ₱86.3

-28.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.36 ₱151

-32.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.45 ₱92.4

3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.05

$2.30 ₱147

-44.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.13

$1.92 ₱122

-42.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.78

$1.10 ₱70.5

-35.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.60 ₱38.45

-18.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.93 ₱187

41.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$6.23 ₱398

181.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.21 ₱77.5

33.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.70 ₱108

63.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.26

$0.25 ₱15.73

248.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,822

$11.20 ₱715

382.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿38.99

$0.73 ₱46.72

58.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.77

$0.22 ₱14.05

140.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$1.89 ₱121

28.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.81

$1.36 ₱86.7

6.62%

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

$21.1K ฿709.5K

$21.2K ₱1.4M

-0.82%

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

$26.9K ฿907.7K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

41.58%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$118 ₱7,507

-47.13%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$15.78 ₱1,008

-22.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$27.98 ₱1,786

-28.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$32.93 ₱2,103

13.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.62 ₱359

-32.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.32 ₱340

21.99%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$131 ₱8,387

460.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.4K

$7,971 ₱508.9K

85.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,798

$33.13 ₱2,115

61.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$19.33 ₱1,234

27.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,082

$75.9 ₱4,844

20.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$56.0 ₱3,575

28.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.2K

$270 ₱17.2K

78.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$175 ₱11.2K

76.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$480 ₱30.6K

109.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$308 ₱19.6K

105.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,799 ₱178.7K

-15.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.5K

$1,194 ₱76.2K

33.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$232 ₱14.8K

154.19%

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 Negros: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Negros

$175 23.6% 43.3% $134

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Negros

$200 26.9% 14.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Negros

$83 11.2% 23.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Negros

$161 21.8% 70.8% $67

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Negros

$64 8.7% 17.2% $13

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Negros

$14 1.9% 77.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Negros

$44 5.9% 13.3% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $270 in Negros. 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 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $12 in Negros. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $200 – making Negros the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Negros

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

09:16 9:16 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,414,131

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 63.85 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 Negros 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Negros

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 Negros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 26% more than Negros, 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 $1,111 in Negros. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Negros, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $270 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $131 in Negros. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Negros – 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 Negros. 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.