Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nueva Ecija

For one person, living is cheaper in Nueva Ecija: $517 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Nueva Ecija
Learn more

Nueva Ecija Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nueva Ecija

🇵🇭 Philippines

$517

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Nueva Ecija

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $517 in Nueva Ecija, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nueva Ecija $517

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $912 in Nueva Ecija, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nueva Ecija $912

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,307 in Nueva Ecija, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nueva Ecija $1,307

Chiang Mai costs about 81% more than Nueva Ecija, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Nueva Ecija are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Nueva Ecija 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$3.85 ₱246

-41.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$16.14 ₱1,033

17.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.72 ₱174

104.04%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.43 ₱91.5

16.78%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.55 ₱35.39

16.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.30 ₱19.48

3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.94 ₱60.3

151.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$1.55 ₱99.1

136.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.60 ₱102

21.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.94 ₱60.0

53.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.92 ₱59.1

44.57%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.57 ₱100

45.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$4.89 ₱313

236.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.29 ₱211

-15.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.70 ₱365

63.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.18 ₱139

7.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.69 ₱44.07

40.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.69 ₱108

-5.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.05 ₱67.3

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.73 ₱111

-26.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.77 ₱113

-37.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.64 ₱41.00

10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.41 ₱26.55

19.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.25 ₱144

84.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$4.23 ₱271

314.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.90 ₱57.6

78.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.97 ₱126

41.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.28 ₱18.09

210.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$5.35 ₱342

911.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$0.73 ₱46.87

58.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.14 ₱8.79

278.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$1.03 ₱66.0

134.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.85 ₱54.6

70.59%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$15.8K ₱1.0M

33.36%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

42.03%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$78.6 ₱5,027

-20.86%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$17.26 ₱1,105

-29.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$18.13 ₱1,160

10.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$31.13 ₱1,992

19.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$4.65 ₱298

-18.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.32 ₱277

50.23%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$133 ₱8,502

454.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$10.9K ₱695.8K

35.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$28.55 ₱1,827

86.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$19.54 ₱1,250

26.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$70.5 ₱4,509

29.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$53.9 ₱3,448

33.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$113 ₱7,253

325.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$66.9 ₱4,279

362.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$174 ₱11.2K

477.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$348 ₱22.3K

81.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,619 ₱167.6K

-9.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,200 ₱76.8K

32.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$184 ₱11.8K

220.47%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Nueva Ecija: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nueva Ecija

$67 12.9% 78.4% $242

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nueva Ecija

$144 27.8% 38.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nueva Ecija

$78 15% 28.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nueva Ecija

$114 22% 20.6% $20

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nueva Ecija

$67 13% 13.2% $10

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nueva Ecija

$7.9 1.5% 87.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nueva Ecija

$40 7.7% 20.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $113 in Nueva Ecija. 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 3.2 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 Nueva Ecija. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $144 – making Nueva Ecija the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Nueva Ecija

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

09:26 9:26 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

64,610

💱 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 Nueva Ecija 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nueva Ecija

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 Nueva Ecija: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 81% more than Nueva Ecija, 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 $776 in Nueva Ecija. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nueva Ecija, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $113 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $133 in Nueva Ecija. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 63% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Nueva Ecija, where all-in costs run around $517, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Nueva Ecija it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nueva Ecija – 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 Nueva Ecija. 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.