Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Manila is 5.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 12.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Manila is 5.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 18% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.37 ₱322

$2.01 ฿64.4

167.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.02 ₱1,619

$18.23 ฿583

48.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 ₱267

$7.65 ฿244

-41.70%

Cappuccino

$2.64 ₱158

$1.92 ฿61.3

37.50%

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

$0.92 ₱55.1

$0.84 ฿26.90

9.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱29.79

$0.36 ฿11.39

38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 ₱92.7

$2.19 ฿70.0

-29.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₱163

$3.79 ฿121

-27.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ₱113

$1.64 ฿52.4

14.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ₱83.8

$1.62 ฿51.8

-13.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 ₱65.0

$1.15 ฿36.88

-6.09%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱124

$1.94 ฿62.0

6.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 ₱569

$15.94 ฿510

-40.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.20 ₱312

$3.10 ฿99.2

67.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.66 ₱519

$11.07 ฿354

-21.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 ₱210

$2.71 ฿86.5

29.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ₱103

$1.18 ฿37.69

46.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 ₱209

$1.71 ฿54.5

104.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 ₱149

$1.61 ฿51.3

54.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 ₱169

$1.39 ฿44.53

103.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 ₱185

$1.15 ฿36.70

168.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 ₱117

$0.71 ฿22.76

176.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₱41.21

$0.55 ฿17.60

25.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ₱206

$4.57 ฿146

-24.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 ₱601

$18.87 ฿603

-46.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 ₱86.9

$1.82 ฿58.2

-20.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱133

$3.21 ฿103

-30.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ₱28.77

$0.88 ฿28.16

-45.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.92 ₱714

$18.89 ฿604

-36.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 ₱51.0

$1.41 ฿45.17

-39.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱14.98

$1.30 ฿41.59

-80.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 ₱129

$8.20 ฿262

-73.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₱67.2

$1.23 ฿39.18

-8.94%

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

$26.1K ₱1.6M

$21.2K ฿677.0K

23.43%

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

$22.4K ₱1.3M

$22.3K ฿713.3K

0.19%

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

$135 ₱8,074

$69.9 ฿2,234

92.90%

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

$21.66 ₱1,298

$14.07 ฿450

53.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.09 ₱1,623

$17.70 ฿566

53.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.91 ₱2,511

$41.41 ฿1,324

1.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.82 ₱409

$6.69 ฿214

1.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.88 ₱412

$5.74 ฿184

19.86%

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

$363 ₱21.7K

$299 ฿9,566

21.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ₱688.8K

$15.0K ฿479.8K

-23.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.72 ₱2,739

$54.8 ฿1,753

-16.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.42 ₱2,062

$26.35 ฿842

30.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 ₱4,863

$84.7 ฿2,706

-4.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.98 ₱2,815

$69.7 ฿2,229

-32.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ₱30.1K

$427 ฿13.6K

17.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 ₱16.2K

$241 ฿7,697

12.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 ₱101.2K

$811 ฿25.9K

108.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$631 ₱37.8K

$498 ฿15.9K

26.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,403 ₱263.8K

$2,022 ฿64.7K

117.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,636 ₱157.9K

$1,524 ฿48.7K

72.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$453 ₱27.1K

$639 ฿20.4K

-29.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.52

50.40%

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

Last update for Manila: April 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

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

Manila vs other spots: cost of living compared

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Similar cities

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Amed, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Kyiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

Tashkent

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan