Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zamboanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Zamboanga: $714 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 Zamboanga
Learn more

Zamboanga Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Zamboanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $714 in Zamboanga, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Zamboanga $714

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,096 in Zamboanga, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Zamboanga $1,096

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,478 in Zamboanga, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Zamboanga $1,478

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Zamboanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.9

$1.31 ₱82.7

62.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$16.52 ₱1,047

12.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$3.32 ₱210

68.67%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.05 ₱130

-19.02%

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

$0.65 ฿21.80

$0.91 ₱57.5

-28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.28

$0.39 ₱24.93

-23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.45 ₱91.7

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$1.95 ₱123

88.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.9

$1.80 ₱114

12.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.45

$1.38 ₱87.4

2.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.90

$1.10 ₱69.9

26.36%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.8

$1.44 ₱91.1

64.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$4.69 ₱298

252.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.0

$3.88 ₱246

-31.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$3.13 ₱198

188.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.8

$3.00 ₱190

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.09

$1.20 ₱75.9

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.78 ₱240

-56.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.5

$1.15 ₱73.1

35.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.71

$1.18 ₱74.8

5.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.62

$2.40 ₱152

-54.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.67

$0.85 ₱53.8

-10.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.33

$0.49 ₱31.25

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.69 ₱170

53.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿604

$4.22 ₱268

324.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.7

$1.30 ₱82.4

24.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.1

$1.99 ₱126

41.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.49

$0.17 ₱11.04

447.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,782

$12.49 ₱791

323.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.65

$0.74 ₱47.15

59.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.22 ₱13.92

-22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$1.90 ₱121

-4.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.63

$0.97 ₱61.5

51.55%

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

$21.0K ฿708.1K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

0.66%

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

$26.5K ฿893.6K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

42.63%

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

$62.6 ฿2,108

$118 ₱7,496

-47.10%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$15.47 ₱981

-25.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿684

$47.75 ₱3,027

-57.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,277

$35.86 ₱2,273

5.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$5.11 ₱324

-27.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$5.02 ₱318

29.68%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$131 ₱8,285

456.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿558.5K

$7,774 ₱492.7K

113.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,804

$32.15 ₱2,037

66.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$19.42 ₱1,231

27.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,046

$71.8 ₱4,548

25.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,425

$54.0 ₱3,422

33.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$250 ₱15.8K

92.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$166 ₱10.5K

86.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$329 ₱20.8K

221.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$353 ₱22.4K

86.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$2,668 ₱169.1K

-9.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.2K

$1,111 ₱70.4K

44.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$191 ₱12.1K

211.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.92

-19.51%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Zamboanga: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Zamboanga

$166 23.3% 46.4% $144

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Zamboanga

$165 23% 30.5% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Zamboanga

$80 11.2% 26.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zamboanga

$181 25.4% 92.1% $87

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Zamboanga

$61 8.6% 19.9% $15

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Zamboanga

$15 2.1% 74.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Zamboanga

$46 6.4% 9.8% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $254 in Zamboanga. 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 3.2 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 Zamboanga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $182 – making Zamboanga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇭 Zamboanga

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

19:02 7:02 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Zamboanga 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zamboanga

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 Zamboanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Zamboanga, 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 $1,071 in Zamboanga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zamboanga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $129 in Zamboanga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Zamboanga – 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 Zamboanga. 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.