Last update: Oct 2026

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

Name: San Juan
Address: San Juan, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $727 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $727 in San Juan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
San Juan $727

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,099 in San Juan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
San Juan $1,099

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,471 in San Juan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
San Juan $1,471

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and San Juan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, San Juan 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.00 ₱255

-44.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$16.19 ₱1,032

17.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.80 ₱178

98.21%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.61 ₱166

-36.02%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.61 ₱38.78

4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.33 ₱21.31

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.01 ₱64.3

133.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.54 ₱98.3

137.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.67 ₱106

16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.13 ₱72.3

27.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.91 ₱58.1

46.15%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.77 ₱113

28.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.98 ₱317

230.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.31 ₱211

-16.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.98 ₱445

33.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.20 ₱140

6.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.40 ₱88.9

-30.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.27 ₱145

-29.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.00 ₱63.9

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.73 ₱110

-26.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.69 ₱108

-34.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.60 ₱38.18

18.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.89 ₱56.4

-44.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.70 ₱172

53.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.51 ₱479

133.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.93 ₱59.5

73.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.74 ₱111

59.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.25 ₱15.92

248.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$11.48 ₱732

371.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.75 ₱47.56

54.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.21 ₱13.37

152.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.87 ₱119

29.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.17 ₱74.5

23.93%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

0.20%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

40.67%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$136 ₱8,682

-54.37%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$14.17 ₱903

-14.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$23.95 ₱1,526

-15.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$27.03 ₱1,722

38.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.16 ₱329

-26.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.01 ₱319

29.54%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$70.3 ₱4,482

946.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,442 ₱155.6K

504.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$28.72 ₱1,830

85.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$19.22 ₱1,225

28.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$71.0 ₱4,522

28.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$55.3 ₱3,522

30.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$269 ₱17.1K

79.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$170 ₱10.8K

81.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$493 ₱31.4K

104.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$357 ₱22.7K

77.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$2,304 ₱146.8K

2.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,186 ₱75.6K

33.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$235 ₱15.0K

150.66%

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 San Juan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

San Juan

$170 23.4% 45% $139

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

San Juan

$169 23.3% 27.7% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

San Juan

$78 10.8% 27.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

San Juan

$174 24% 84.6% $80

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

San Juan

$84 11.5% 7.8% $6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

San Juan

$14 2% 76.7% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

San Juan

$37 5.1% 26.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $269 in San Juan. 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 San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $169 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 San Juan

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

08:12 8:12 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

126,347

💱 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 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 San Juan 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than San Juan, 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 $1,091 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $269 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $70 in San Juan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% 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 $727 in San Juan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan – 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 San Juan. 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.