Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San Fernando, Philippines

Name: San Fernando
Address: San Fernando, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando: $807 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
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San Fernando Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

San Fernando

🇵🇭 Philippines

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in San Fernando

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $807 in San Fernando, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
San Fernando $807

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,271 in San Fernando, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
San Fernando $1,271

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,735 in San Fernando, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
San Fernando $1,735

Chiang Mai costs about 16% more than San Fernando, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and San Fernando are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, San Fernando 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$3.07 ₱195

-30.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$23.84 ₱1,516

-21.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$2.82 ₱179

98.58%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.71 ₱109

-2.92%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.64 ₱40.43

1.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.38 ₱24.23

-21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$1.09 ₱69.3

112.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$1.95 ₱124

88.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.76 ₱112

14.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.87 ₱55.0

62.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.96 ₱61.1

44.79%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.90 ₱121

24.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$4.60 ₱293

259.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$3.31 ₱210

-19.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$7.04 ₱448

28.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.58 ₱164

-6.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$2.06 ₱131

-49.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.75 ₱175

-39.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.92 ₱58.2

69.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$1.38 ₱88.0

-10.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$1.32 ₱83.8

-17.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.65 ₱41.09

16.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.35 ₱22.37

45.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.71 ₱172

52.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$6.96 ₱442

157.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$0.75 ₱47.73

116.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.95 ₱187

-4.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.25 ₱15.80

272.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$13.59 ₱864

289.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$1.00 ₱63.7

18.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.20 ₱12.70

-15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.94 ₱123

-6.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.27 ₱80.7

15.75%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

-0.04%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

39.13%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$96.3 ₱6,121

-35.02%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$17.18 ₱1,092

-32.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$30.29 ₱1,926

-32.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$31.66 ₱2,013

19.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$15.57 ₱990

-76.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.66 ₱296

39.70%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$267 ₱17.0K

171.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$13.5K ₱855.9K

23.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$49.06 ₱3,119

9.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$37.73 ₱2,399

-34.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$71.4 ₱4,542

26.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$78.4 ₱4,982

-8.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$402 ₱25.6K

19.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$266 ₱16.9K

16.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$724 ₱46.0K

46.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$560 ₱35.6K

17.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$4,249 ₱270.2K

-43.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$2,385 ₱151.6K

-32.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Fernando: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

San Fernando

$266 32.9% 14.3% $44

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

San Fernando

$167 20.7% 29.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

San Fernando

$106 13.2% 1.7% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

San Fernando

$144 17.8% 52.2% $49

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

San Fernando

$67 8.3% 12.5% $9.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

San Fernando

$17 2.1% 71.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

San Fernando

$41 5.1% 19.5% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $402 in San Fernando. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $24 in San Fernando. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $167 in San Fernando – so San Fernando wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 San Fernando

🕒 Local time

07:49 7:49 AM

08:49 8:49 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

354,666

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai San Fernando 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
San Fernando

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 San Fernando: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 16% more than San Fernando, 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 $1,211 in San Fernando. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Fernando, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $267 in San Fernando. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% 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 $807 in San Fernando, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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