Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pasay

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasay: $898 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $460 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Pasay
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Pasay Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Pasay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $898 in Pasay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Pasay $898

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,224 in Pasay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Pasay $1,224

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,551 in Pasay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Pasay $1,551

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Pasay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Pasay are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Pasay 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.39 ₱280

-48.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$18.79 ₱1,197

1.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.79 ₱178

98.92%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.12 ₱135

-21.23%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.59 ₱37.35

8.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.33 ₱21.23

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.15 ₱73.4

105.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.54 ₱98.0

137.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.63 ₱104

19.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.16 ₱74.0

24.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.02 ₱65.1

30.39%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.83 ₱116

24.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.97 ₱316

230.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.23 ₱270

-34.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.83 ₱435

36.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.19 ₱140

7.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.56 ₱99.5

-37.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.34 ₱149

-31.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.11 ₱70.5

35.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.33 ₱148

-45.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$3.27 ₱208

-66.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.23 ₱78.1

-42.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.85 ₱54.2

-42.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.96 ₱188

39.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.56 ₱482

131.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.88 ₱56.1

82.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.73 ₱110

60.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.20 ₱12.46

335.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.80 ₱51.2

45.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.21 ₱13.36

152.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.89 ₱120

28.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.23 ₱78.4

17.89%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$20.6K ₱1.3M

2.19%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

40.03%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$139 ₱8,862

-55.32%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$14.40 ₱917

-15.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$24.03 ₱1,530

-16.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$47.26 ₱3,010

-21.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.99 ₱318

30.06%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$70.6 ₱4,497

942.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$2,430 ₱154.8K

507.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$34.90 ₱2,223

52.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$19.11 ₱1,217

28.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$70.2 ₱4,473

30.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$62.5 ₱3,983

15.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$427 ₱27.2K

12.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$312 ₱19.9K

-1.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$828 ₱52.7K

21.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$366 ₱23.3K

73.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,864 ₱118.8K

26.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$567 ₱36.1K

180.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$512 ₱32.6K

15.17%

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 Pasay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Pasay

$312 34.8% 1.1% $3.4

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Pasay

$183 20.4% 22% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Pasay

$84 9.4% 22.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Pasay

$178 19.8% 88% $83

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Pasay

$81 9.1% 5% $3.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Pasay

$2.6 * 0.3% 95.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Pasay

$57 6.4% 13.8% $7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $427 in Pasay. 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 15% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $19 in Pasay. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $183 in Pasay – so Pasay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Pasay

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

416,522

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Pasay

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 Pasay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Pasay, 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 $1,347 in Pasay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pasay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $427 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $898 in Pasay. That makes Pasay about 4% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $898 in Pasay, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Pasay. 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.