Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Polomolok

For one person, living is cheaper in Polomolok: $612 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Polomolok
Learn more

Polomolok Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Polomolok

🇵🇭 Philippines

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $612 in Polomolok, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Polomolok $612

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $966 in Polomolok, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Polomolok $966

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,321 in Polomolok, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Polomolok $1,321

Chiang Mai costs about 53% more than Polomolok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Polomolok are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Polomolok 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$1.53 ₱97.6

46.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$16.22 ₱1,036

17.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$2.06 ₱131

169.42%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.12 ₱135

-21.23%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.37 ₱23.73

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.66 ₱42.33

-53.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.14 ₱72.5

107.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.12 ₱136

72.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.58 ₱101

23.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.89 ₱56.8

61.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.64 ₱40.93

107.81%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.92 ₱123

18.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$6.35 ₱405

159.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.72 ₱174

2.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.61 ₱358

65.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.52 ₱161

-6.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.57 ₱36.13

70.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.42 ₱154

-33.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.76 ₱48.46

97.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.15 ₱73.5

11.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.78 ₱178

-60.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.81 ₱51.5

-12.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.66 ₱42.05

-25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.45 ₱156

68.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.06 ₱451

148.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.92 ₱58.5

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.52 ₱97.2

82.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.22 ₱14.31

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$12.59 ₱804

329.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.82 ₱52.3

41.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.22 ₱14.05

140.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.92 ₱122

26.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.85 ₱54.3

70.59%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$15.4K ₱985.8K

36.49%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$17.1K ₱1.1M

57.45%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$50.4 ₱3,219

23.40%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$18.88 ₱1,207

-35.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$26.19 ₱1,673

-23.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$31.17 ₱1,992

19.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.26 ₱336

-28.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.93 ₱251

65.14%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$106 ₱6,744

597.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$1,346 ₱86.0K

997.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$32.46 ₱2,074

64.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$18.92 ₱1,209

30.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$62.7 ₱4,006

45.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$61.6 ₱3,936

16.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$254 ₱16.2K

89.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$169 ₱10.8K

82.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$558 ₱35.7K

80.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$359 ₱22.9K

76.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,598 ₱166.0K

-9.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,128 ₱72.1K

40.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$233 ₱14.9K

152.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Polomolok: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Polomolok

$169 27.7% 45.2% $140

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Polomolok

$156 25.5% 33.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Polomolok

$79 12.9% 27.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Polomolok

$95 15.6% 1% $1

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Polomolok

$58 9.5% 25.4% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Polomolok

$15 2.5% 74.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Polomolok

$39 6.4% 22.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $254 in Polomolok. 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 $16 in Polomolok. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $156 – making Polomolok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Polomolok

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

07:48 7:48 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

172,605

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Polomolok 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Polomolok

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 Polomolok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 53% more than Polomolok, 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 $918 in Polomolok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Polomolok, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $106 in Polomolok. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Polomolok, where all-in costs run around $612, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Polomolok it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Polomolok – 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 Polomolok. 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.