Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tagbilaran City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagbilaran City: $620 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Tagbilaran City
Learn more

Tagbilaran City Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Tagbilaran City

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $620 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Tagbilaran City $620

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,005 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Tagbilaran City $1,005

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,390 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Tagbilaran City $1,390

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than Tagbilaran City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Tagbilaran City are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Tagbilaran City 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$2.93 ₱185

-21.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$17.16 ₱1,081

14.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$2.91 ₱183

92.78%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.48 ₱156

-33.06%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.99 ₱62.6

-29.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.42 ₱26.32

-26.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$0.77 ₱48.77

212.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.25 ₱142

64.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.49 ₱94.0

30.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.01 ₱63.8

39.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.98 ₱61.9

33.67%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.72 ₱108

26.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$9.68 ₱610

72.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.56 ₱287

-39.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$7.70 ₱485

18.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.90 ₱183

-17.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.31 ₱82.3

-21.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.36 ₱149

-30.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.52 ₱95.8

-1.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$2.32 ₱146

-44.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.90 ₱120

-41.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.70 ₱43.81

2.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.50 ₱31.38

6.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.37 ₱149

81.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$6.33 ₱399

183.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$0.92 ₱58.1

71.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.04 ₱65.7

173.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.47 ₱29.42

82.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.79 ₱49.99

53.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.22 ₱13.87

159.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$4.38 ₱276

-46.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.03 ₱65.1

39.81%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$21.5K ₱1.4M

-3.59%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

39.94%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$78.0 ₱4,911

-20.09%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$14.28 ₱899

-15.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$25.32 ₱1,594

-21.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$10.92 ₱687

239.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$3.22 ₱203

17.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$3.60 ₱227

80.56%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$280 ₱17.6K

183.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$7,908 ₱497.9K

87.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$36.94 ₱2,326

45.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$17.89 ₱1,126

37.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$65.0 ₱4,094

39.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$58.2 ₱3,665

22.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$190 ₱12.0K

139.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$135 ₱8,524

119.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$482 ₱30.3K

88.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$350 ₱22.0K

58.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$805 ₱50.7K

139.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$476 ₱30.0K

203.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$171 ₱10.8K

244.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.2

-22.64%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Tagbilaran City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Tagbilaran City

$135 21.8% 54.5% $162

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Tagbilaran City

$189 30.5% 19.7% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Tagbilaran City

$80 12.9% 25.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Tagbilaran City

$118 19% 24.6% $23

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Tagbilaran City

$76 12.3% 3.4% $2.7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tagbilaran City

$3.8 * 0.6% 93.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Tagbilaran City

$18 2.9% 63.8% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $190 in Tagbilaran City. 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 245% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $17.00 in Tagbilaran City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $189 – making Tagbilaran City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Tagbilaran City

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

18:22 6:22 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

86,411

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Tagbilaran City 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tagbilaran City

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 Tagbilaran City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than Tagbilaran City, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $930 in Tagbilaran City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tagbilaran City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $17.00 in Tagbilaran City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tagbilaran City, where all-in costs run around $620, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Tagbilaran City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tagbilaran City costs $620 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tagbilaran City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.