Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Valenzuela

For one person, living is cheaper in Valenzuela: $552 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Valenzuela
Learn more

Valenzuela Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Valenzuela

🇵🇭 Philippines

$552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Valenzuela

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $552 in Valenzuela, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Valenzuela $552

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,208 in Valenzuela, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Valenzuela $1,208

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,864 in Valenzuela, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Valenzuela $1,864

Chiang Mai costs about 69% more than Valenzuela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Valenzuela are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Valenzuela 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.88 ₱247

-42.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$16.61 ₱1,058

14.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.74 ₱174

102.55%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.00 ₱128

-16.50%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.56 ₱35.46

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.31 ₱19.44

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.24 ₱79.0

90.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.54 ₱98.2

137.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.65 ₱105

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.09 ₱69.2

32.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.99 ₱63.3

34.34%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.05 ₱131

11.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.97 ₱316

230.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.28 ₱209

-15.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.78 ₱432

37.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.20 ₱140

6.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.58 ₱101

-38.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.31 ₱147

-30.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.05 ₱67.1

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.72 ₱110

-25.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.70 ₱109

-35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.64 ₱40.99

10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.48 ₱30.60

2.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.62 ₱167

58.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.59 ₱484

130.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.94 ₱59.7

71.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.94 ₱124

43.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.23 ₱14.71

278.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$13.23 ₱843

308.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.64 ₱40.80

81.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.21 ₱13.37

152.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.89 ₱121

28.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.19 ₱75.9

21.85%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

0.26%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

39.72%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$138 ₱8,776

-54.88%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$15.92 ₱1,014

-23.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$30.98 ₱1,973

-35.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$19.07 ₱1,215

95.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.41 ₱408

1.25%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$130 ₱8,270

466.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$7,357 ₱468.6K

100.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$28.67 ₱1,826

86.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$19.33 ₱1,231

27.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$69.3 ₱4,414

32.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$53.9 ₱3,435

33.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$997 ₱63.5K

0.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$770 ₱49.1K

-17.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$578 ₱36.8K

2.00%

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 Valenzuela: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Valenzuela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Valenzuela

$167 30.2% 28.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Valenzuela

$77 14% 29.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Valenzuela

$185 33.4% 95.5% $90

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Valenzuela

$76 13.8% 2% $1.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Valenzuela

$16 2.9% 74.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Valenzuela

$32 5.8% 36.6% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $17 in Valenzuela. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $167 – making Valenzuela the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Valenzuela

🕒 Local time

20:12 8:12 PM

21:12 9:12 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

714,978

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.08 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Valenzuela 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Valenzuela

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 Valenzuela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 69% more than Valenzuela, 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 $829 in Valenzuela. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $130 in Valenzuela. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Valenzuela, where all-in costs run around $552, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Valenzuela it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $552 in Valenzuela to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.