Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dagupan and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Dagupan: $730 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Dagupan
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Dagupan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dagupan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$730

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dagupan and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $730 per month in Dagupan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dagupan $730
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,083 per month in Dagupan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dagupan $1,083
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,435 per month in Dagupan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dagupan $1,435
Chiang Mai $1,979

Dagupan is about 22% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Dagupan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dagupan 46% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 ₱176

$2.24 ฿75.7

23.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.82 ₱755

$19.00 ฿642

-37.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.25 ₱271

$5.55 ฿188

-23.42%

Cappuccino

$2.39 ₱153

$1.67 ฿56.6

43.11%

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

$0.49 ₱31.45

$0.64 ฿21.56

-23.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 ₱14.01

$0.31 ฿10.32

-29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 ₱76.6

$2.36 ฿79.6

-49.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₱171

$3.66 ฿124

-27.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ₱109

$1.95 ฿65.8

-12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 ₱80.9

$1.44 ฿48.51

-11.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ₱59.2

$1.33 ฿45.07

-30.08%

Eggs

$1.92 ₱122

$2.28 ฿77.1

-15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.68 ₱363

$16.45 ฿556

-65.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.73 ₱302

$2.78 ฿94.0

70.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.66 ₱426

$9.31 ฿314

-28.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 ₱250

$2.35 ฿79.5

66.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 ₱122

$0.97 ฿32.82

96.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 ₱176

$1.60 ฿53.9

72.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ₱71.7

$1.50 ฿50.7

-25.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 ₱178

$1.28 ฿43.15

117.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 ₱216

$1.10 ฿37.22

207.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₱66.7

$0.71 ฿23.84

46.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.79

$0.49 ฿16.38

8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.30 ₱147

$4.14 ฿140

-44.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.36 ₱342

$17.52 ฿592

-69.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₱52.5

$1.61 ฿54.5

-49.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₱119

$2.78 ฿94.0

-33.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.66

$0.87 ฿29.33

-77.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 ₱38.49

$1.16 ฿39.08

-48.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.71

$0.53 ฿17.82

-56.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱122

$2.42 ฿81.8

-21.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$1.45 ฿48.93

-24.14%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-0.56%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-30.49%

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

$103 ₱6,570

$62.2 ฿2,100

65.39%

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

$15.47 ₱988

$12.17 ฿411

27.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.08 ₱1,602

$20.12 ฿680

24.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.41 ₱2,071

$37.31 ฿1,260

-13.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱321

$6.49 ฿219

-22.50%

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

$767 ₱49.0K

$736 ฿24.9K

4.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,158 ₱457.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-51.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,828

$53.4 ฿1,802

12.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.65 ₱489

$24.64 ฿832

-68.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 ₱5,010

$91.5 ฿3,089

-14.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ₱6,541

$71.9 ฿2,429

42.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$189 ₱12.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

-60.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 ₱10.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

-48.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 ₱22.4K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-65.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$262 ₱16.8K

$633 ฿21.4K

-58.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$463 ₱29.6K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-70.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$231 ₱14.8K

$590 ฿19.9K

-60.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

5.57

34.65%

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

Last update for Dagupan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dagupan

$194 26.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 21% $41

Accommodation & Living

Dagupan

$159 21.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 94.3% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dagupan

$143 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 34.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Dagupan

$112 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 2.8% $3.1

Eating Out

Dagupan

$78 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Dagupan

$42 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 18.4% $7.8

Getting Around

Dagupan

$2.6 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2306% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $189 in Dagupan versus $482 in Chiang Mai. 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 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Dagupan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $234 – making Dagupan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dagupan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

04:36 4:36 AM

1 h behind Dagupan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,302

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dagupan Chiang Mai 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dagupan
Chiang Mai

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

Dagupan vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Dagupan, 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 $1,096 per month in Dagupan and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dagupan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $189 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Dagupan and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $730 in Dagupan 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.

If budget matters most, go with Dagupan. 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.