Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Island Garden City of Samal and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Island Garden City of Samal: $715 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Island Garden City of Samal
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Island Garden City of Samal Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Island Garden City of Samal

🇵🇭 Philippines

$715

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Island Garden City of Samal 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 Island Garden City of Samal and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $715 per month in Island Garden City of Samal vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Island Garden City of Samal $715
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,104 per month in Island Garden City of Samal vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Island Garden City of Samal $1,104
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,492 per month in Island Garden City of Samal vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Island Garden City of Samal $1,492
Chiang Mai $1,999

Island Garden City of Samal is about 24% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Island Garden City of Samal and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Island Garden City of Samal 47% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.15 ₱72.5

$2.13 ฿71.5

-46.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.72 ₱1,057

$18.62 ฿624

-10.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ₱249

$5.60 ฿187

-29.46%

Cappuccino

$2.19 ₱139

$1.66 ฿55.7

31.93%

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

$1.03 ₱64.9

$0.65 ฿21.67

58.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₱42.02

$0.30 ฿10.21

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 ₱75.7

$2.32 ฿77.8

-48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ₱133

$3.67 ฿123

-42.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱122

$2.02 ฿67.5

-4.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 ₱67.4

$1.41 ฿47.15

-24.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ₱52.9

$1.39 ฿46.61

-39.57%

Eggs

$1.93 ₱122

$2.37 ฿79.3

-18.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.29 ₱397

$16.52 ฿553

-61.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.66 ₱294

$2.67 ฿89.4

74.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 ₱585

$9.02 ฿302

2.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ₱173

$2.40 ฿80.3

13.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.4

$1.04 ฿34.87

2.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱148

$1.66 ฿55.6

40.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 ₱74.5

$1.56 ฿52.2

-24.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 ₱121

$1.24 ฿41.45

54.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 ₱219

$1.09 ฿36.39

218.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ₱74.6

$0.76 ฿25.51

55.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₱41.66

$0.51 ฿17.22

29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₱148

$4.12 ฿138

-43.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₱499

$17.93 ฿600

-56.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.1

$1.62 ฿54.4

-21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱101

$2.82 ฿94.5

-43.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.21

$0.93 ฿31.30

-74.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.28 ₱776

$52.9 ฿1,771

-76.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₱47.47

$1.18 ฿39.41

-36.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.24

$0.17 ฿5.74

41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 ₱116

$1.81 ฿60.7

1.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₱77.4

$1.47 ฿49.32

-17.01%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$21.0K ฿703.7K

-0.46%

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

$18.6K ₱1.2M

$26.5K ฿888.0K

-29.90%

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

$100 ₱6,350

$62.6 ฿2,095

60.61%

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

$18.62 ₱1,177

$11.60 ฿389

60.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.00 ₱1,959

$20.30 ฿680

52.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.00 ₱1,960

$37.88 ฿1,269

-18.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.22 ₱330

$3.70 ฿124

41.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 ₱299

$6.51 ฿218

-27.50%

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

$103 ₱6,539

$727 ฿24.3K

-85.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,545 ₱476.9K

$16.6K ฿555.1K

-54.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.51 ₱2,055

$53.5 ฿1,793

-39.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.14 ₱1,209

$24.80 ฿831

-22.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 ₱4,468

$90.4 ฿3,027

-21.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.7 ₱3,775

$72.0 ฿2,410

-17.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ₱15.8K

$481 ฿16.1K

-47.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$166 ₱10.5K

$310 ฿10.4K

-46.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ₱30.4K

$1,058 ฿35.4K

-54.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ₱22.6K

$659 ฿22.1K

-45.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,635 ₱166.5K

$2,418 ฿81.0K

8.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,089 ₱68.8K

$1,609 ฿53.9K

-32.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

5.57

49.19%

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

Last update for Island Garden City of Samal: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Island Garden City of Samal

$197 27.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 20.3% $40

Accommodation & Living

Island Garden City of Samal

$166 23.3%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 86.5% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Island Garden City of Samal

$150 21%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 37.1% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Island Garden City of Samal

$82 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 32.2% $26

Eating Out

Island Garden City of Samal

$64 9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 19.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Island Garden City of Samal

$40 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 25.8% $10

Getting Around

Island Garden City of Samal

$15 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 286% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $251 in Island Garden City of Samal 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17 in Island Garden City of Samal versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $237 – making Island Garden City of Samal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Island Garden City of Samal

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:00 10:00 PM

21:00 9:00 PM

1 h behind Island Garden City of Samal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,771

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.68 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 9, 2026: 1 USD = 63.2 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.48 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 9, 2026: 1 USD = 33.49 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.34 THB (100 THB = 2.68 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Island Garden City of Samal Chiang Mai 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Island Garden City of Samal
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

Island Garden City of Samal vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Island Garden City of Samal, 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 $1,072 per month in Island Garden City of Samal 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 Island Garden City of Samal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $251 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $103 per month in Island Garden City of Samal and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Island Garden City of Samal, where all-in costs run around $715, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Island Garden City of Samal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Island Garden City of Samal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

For expats, Island Garden City of Samal is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 24% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.