Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Valencia City

For one person, living is cheaper in Valencia City: $718 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Valencia City
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Valencia City Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Valencia City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Valencia 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 Valencia City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $718 in Valencia City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Valencia City $718

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,101 in Valencia City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Valencia City $1,101

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,484 in Valencia City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Valencia City $1,484

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Valencia City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$2.93 ₱186

-27.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$16.36 ₱1,040

13.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$1.98 ₱126

182.83%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.19 ₱139

-24.20%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.37 ₱23.73

75.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.40 ₱25.59

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$1.14 ₱72.4

103.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.09 ₱133

75.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.91 ₱121

5.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$1.12 ₱71.4

25.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.83 ₱52.6

67.47%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.49 ₱94.7

59.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$6.25 ₱397

164.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$4.60 ₱293

-41.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$9.16 ₱582

-1.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.79 ₱177

-13.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.11 ₱70.6

-6.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.39 ₱152

-30.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.12 ₱71.5

39.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.61 ₱38.95

103.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$2.24 ₱143

-51.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$1.20 ₱76.1

-36.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.67 ₱42.33

-23.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.45 ₱156

68.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$7.74 ₱492

131.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.25 ₱79.6

29.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.64 ₱104

71.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.24 ₱15.32

287.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$12.47 ₱793

324.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.82 ₱51.9

43.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.24 ₱15.27

-29.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.86 ₱118

-2.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.25 ₱79.7

17.60%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

1.69%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

38.49%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$106 ₱6,724

-40.84%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$18.85 ₱1,199

-38.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$30.49 ₱1,939

-33.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$31.47 ₱2,001

20.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$5.16 ₱328

-28.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.77 ₱304

36.48%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$103 ₱6,556

605.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$7,343 ₱466.9K

125.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$32.27 ₱2,052

65.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$19.08 ₱1,213

29.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$70.5 ₱4,481

28.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$60.1 ₱3,822

19.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$253 ₱16.1K

89.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$167 ₱10.6K

85.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$485 ₱30.8K

118.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$351 ₱22.3K

87.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$2,651 ₱168.5K

-8.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,095 ₱69.6K

46.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.31

-32.97%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Valencia City: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Valencia City

$167 23.3% 46.1% $143

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Valencia City

$189 26.3% 20.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Valencia City

$82 11.4% 24.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Valencia City

$155 21.6% 64.2% $61

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Valencia City

$69 9.6% 10.3% $7.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Valencia City

$15 2.2% 73.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Valencia City

$41 5.7% 19.4% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $253 in Valencia City. 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 $16 in Valencia City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $189 – making Valencia City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Valencia City

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

05:03 5:03 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

216,546

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Valencia City 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Valencia 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 Valencia City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Valencia City, 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 $1,077 in Valencia City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valencia City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $103 in Valencia City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% 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 $718 in Valencia City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Valencia City – 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.

For expats, Valencia City is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 23% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.