Last update: Nov 2026

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

Name: San Pedro
Address: San Pedro, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro: $707 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
34

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

San Pedro

🇵🇭 Philippines

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $707 in San Pedro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
San Pedro $707

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,074 in San Pedro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
San Pedro $1,074

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,442 in San Pedro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
San Pedro $1,442

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than San Pedro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and San Pedro are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, San Pedro 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$3.81 ₱242

-44.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$16.66 ₱1,059

11.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$2.79 ₱177

100.72%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.76 ₱112

-5.68%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.55 ₱34.86

18.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.31 ₱19.70

-3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$1.02 ₱64.9

127.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$1.57 ₱100

133.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.63 ₱104

23.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$1.09 ₱69.4

29.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$1.01 ₱64.4

37.62%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.96 ₱125

20.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$4.83 ₱307

242.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$3.41 ₱217

-21.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$6.77 ₱431

33.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.24 ₱142

7.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.57 ₱99.9

-33.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.26 ₱144

-26.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.06 ₱67.2

47.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$1.63 ₱104

-23.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$1.77 ₱113

-38.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.94 ₱59.6

-19.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.51 ₱32.49

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.90 ₱185

42.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$8.69 ₱553

106.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$0.91 ₱57.8

78.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.98 ₱126

42.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.24 ₱15.29

287.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$12.33 ₱784

328.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.72 ₱46.09

63.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.20 ₱12.73

-15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.84 ₱117

-1.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.18 ₱75.3

24.58%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

0.28%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

39.74%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$121 ₱7,665

-48.11%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$15.83 ₱1,006

-26.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$23.27 ₱1,479

-12.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$31.50 ₱2,003

20.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$5.10 ₱324

-27.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$5.17 ₱329

25.92%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$130 ₱8,269

459.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$8,736 ₱555.4K

89.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$28.24 ₱1,796

89.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$19.23 ₱1,222

28.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$71.6 ₱4,551

26.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$55.6 ₱3,536

29.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$252 ₱16.0K

90.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$170 ₱10.8K

82.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$484 ₱30.8K

118.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$350 ₱22.3K

88.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$2,591 ₱164.8K

-6.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,089 ₱69.2K

47.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$125 ₱7,951

375.67%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Pedro: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

San Pedro

$170 24% 45.3% $140

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

San Pedro

$170 24.1% 28.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

San Pedro

$79 11.1% 27.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

San Pedro

$160 22.6% 69% $65

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

San Pedro

$72 10.2% 6.3% $4.8

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

San Pedro

$15 2.1% 74.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

San Pedro

$42 5.9% 17.8% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $252 in San Pedro. 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 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $17 in San Pedro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $170 – making San Pedro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 San Pedro

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

07:30 7:30 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

326,001

💱 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 4, 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 4, 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai San Pedro 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
San Pedro

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 Pedro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than San Pedro, 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 $1,060 in San Pedro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Pedro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $252 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $130 in San Pedro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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