Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dasmarinas and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $496 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Dasmarinas
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Dasmarinas Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $496 per month in Dasmarinas vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dasmarinas $496
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $738 per month in Dasmarinas vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dasmarinas $738
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $980 per month in Dasmarinas vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dasmarinas $980
Chiang Mai $1,903

Dasmarinas is about 46% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dasmarinas and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dasmarinas 63% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 ₱257

$2.29 ฿76.5

78.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.95 ₱1,067

$19.64 ฿656

-13.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 ₱171

$5.61 ฿188

-51.69%

Cappuccino

$1.75 ₱110

$1.66 ฿55.6

5.42%

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

$0.57 ₱35.76

$0.70 ฿23.40

-18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.30

$0.31 ฿10.24

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 ₱60.1

$2.41 ฿80.4

-60.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱99.4

$3.71 ฿124

-57.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ₱87.5

$1.95 ฿65.3

-28.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$1.41 ฿47.03

-21.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₱41.36

$1.31 ฿43.62

-49.62%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱113

$2.18 ฿72.9

-17.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.94 ₱311

$16.65 ฿556

-70.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 ₱219

$2.76 ฿92.2

26.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.72 ₱297

$9.11 ฿304

-48.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₱143

$2.39 ฿80.0

-5.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₱102

$1.03 ฿34.26

56.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$1.63 ฿54.4

46.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.3

$1.50 ฿50.0

-28.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.29 ฿43.13

35.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 ₱108

$1.11 ฿37.03

54.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.39

$0.72 ฿24.08

-15.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.54

$0.53 ฿17.59

-1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₱181

$4.31 ฿144

-33.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 ₱541

$17.95 ฿600

-52.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₱58.5

$1.58 ฿52.9

-41.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱125

$2.84 ฿95.0

-29.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱48.96

$1.21 ฿40.29

-35.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.76

$0.57 ฿18.99

-56.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱117

$2.35 ฿78.6

-21.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$1.44 ฿47.96

-22.92%

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

$21.4K ₱1.3M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

3.18%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-29.45%

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

$48.45 ₱3,050

$62.3 ฿2,083

-22.27%

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

$17.55 ₱1,105

$12.11 ฿405

44.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.72 ₱1,494

$19.94 ฿666

18.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.43 ₱2,105

$37.07 ฿1,239

-9.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 ₱334

$6.50 ฿217

-18.46%

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

$134 ₱8,415

$793 ฿26.5K

-83.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱674.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-27.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.53 ₱1,796

$53.7 ฿1,796

-46.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.55 ₱1,231

$24.62 ฿823

-20.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ₱4,561

$90.9 ฿3,036

-20.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.4 ₱3,552

$71.1 ฿2,378

-20.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.95 ₱2,956

$298 ฿9,954

-84.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$353 ₱22.2K

$591 ฿19.7K

-40.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

5.57

14.90%

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

Last update for Dasmarinas: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dasmarinas

$160 32.3%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 47% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dasmarinas

$90 18.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 5.2% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Dasmarinas

$80 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 35.8% $29

Eating Out

Dasmarinas

$73 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 7.3% $5.4

Accommodation & Living

Dasmarinas

$47 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 534% $251

Sport & Entertainment

Dasmarinas

$44 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 13.7% $6

Getting Around

Dasmarinas

$2 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2894% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 67% 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 $17.00 in Dasmarinas versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $160 vs $235 – making Dasmarinas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

05:55 5:55 AM

1 h behind Dasmarinas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

659,019

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dasmarinas Chiang Mai 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dasmarinas
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 87% more than Dasmarinas, 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 $744 per month in Dasmarinas and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 47% 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 Dasmarinas, where all-in costs run around $496, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Dasmarinas 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. Dasmarinas costs $496 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 Dasmarinas. 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.