Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dipolog and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Dipolog: $776 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

35

Cost of Living Index in Dipolog
Learn more

Dipolog Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Dipolog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$776

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $776 per month in Dipolog vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dipolog $776
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,132 per month in Dipolog vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dipolog $1,132
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,488 per month in Dipolog vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dipolog $1,488
Chiang Mai $1,999

Dipolog is about 17% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dipolog and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dipolog 43% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.53 ₱97.2

$2.13 ฿71.9

-28.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.22 ₱1,219

$18.62 ฿628

3.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.07 ₱195

$5.60 ฿189

-45.18%

Cappuccino

$1.55 ₱98.4

$1.66 ฿56.0

-6.63%

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

$0.37 ₱23.74

$0.65 ฿21.80

-43.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.57

$0.30 ฿10.28

-23.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 ₱69.2

$2.32 ฿78.3

-53.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₱99.0

$3.67 ฿124

-57.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ₱97.7

$2.02 ฿67.9

-23.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 ₱51.6

$1.41 ฿47.45

-42.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₱51.1

$1.39 ฿46.90

-41.73%

Eggs

$1.95 ₱124

$2.37 ฿79.8

-17.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.67 ₱296

$16.52 ฿557

-71.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.57 ₱289

$2.67 ฿90.0

71.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.51 ₱349

$9.02 ฿304

-38.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 ₱97.6

$2.40 ฿80.8

-35.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ₱78.2

$1.04 ฿35.09

18.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 ₱127

$1.66 ฿55.9

20.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 ₱59.1

$1.56 ฿52.5

-40.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 ₱120

$1.24 ฿41.71

52.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 ₱98.7

$1.09 ฿36.62

43.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₱64.1

$0.76 ฿25.67

32.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₱38.12

$0.51 ฿17.33

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 ₱172

$4.12 ฿139

-33.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.04 ₱256

$17.93 ฿604

-77.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₱72.4

$1.62 ฿54.7

-29.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₱101

$2.82 ฿95.1

-43.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.26

$0.93 ฿31.49

-72.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.55 ₱922

$52.9 ฿1,782

-72.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 ₱66.3

$1.18 ฿39.65

-11.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.67

$0.17 ฿5.78

17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱119

$1.81 ฿61.1

3.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 ₱54.0

$1.47 ฿49.63

-42.18%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$21.0K ฿708.1K

1.01%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$26.5K ฿893.6K

-27.81%

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

$67.9 ₱4,304

$62.6 ฿2,108

8.54%

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

$8.09 ₱513

$11.60 ฿391

-30.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.89 ₱1,514

$20.30 ฿684

17.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.96 ₱2,026

$37.88 ฿1,277

-15.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$5.47 ₱347

$6.51 ฿219

-15.98%

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

$297 ₱18.8K

$727 ฿24.5K

-59.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,827 ₱432.7K

$16.6K ฿558.5K

-58.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 ₱3,233

$53.5 ฿1,804

-4.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.96 ₱1,645

$24.80 ฿836

4.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 ₱5,014

$90.4 ฿3,046

-12.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.8 ₱4,232

$72.0 ฿2,425

-7.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 ₱26.2K

$481 ฿16.2K

-14.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 ₱19.7K

$310 ฿10.4K

0.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 ₱48.3K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-28.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 ₱30.6K

$659 ฿22.2K

-26.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,505 ₱222.2K

$2,418 ฿81.5K

44.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,701 ₱171.2K

$1,609 ฿54.2K

67.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$236 ₱14.9K

$595 ฿20.0K

-60.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

25.67%

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

Last update for Dipolog: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dipolog

$311 40.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 0.5% $1.6

Groceries & Markets

Dipolog

$153 19.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 55% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Dipolog

$100 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 8% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dipolog

$100 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 5.4% $5.4

Eating Out

Dipolog

$51 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 49.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Dipolog

$43 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 18.6% $8

Getting Around

Dipolog

$18 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 233% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $413 in Dipolog versus $481 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 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Dipolog versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $153 vs $237 – making Dipolog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dipolog

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

01:28 1:28 AM

1 h behind Dipolog

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,759

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dipolog Chiang Mai 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Dipolog
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 21% more than Dipolog, 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 $1,164 per month in Dipolog 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 Dipolog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $413 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Dipolog. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Dipolog – 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 Dipolog. 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.