Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marikina and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Marikina: $704 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $704 per month in Marikina vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Marikina $704
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,094 per month in Marikina vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Marikina $1,094
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,484 per month in Marikina vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Marikina $1,484
Chiang Mai $1,914

Marikina is about 25% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Marikina and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Marikina 48% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 ₱257

$2.26 ฿75.4

80.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.37 ₱2,038

$19.18 ฿641

68.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.17 ₱199

$5.59 ฿187

-43.29%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ₱144

$1.72 ฿57.6

33.14%

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

$0.55 ₱34.81

$0.64 ฿21.54

-14.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.92

$0.33 ฿11.18

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱63.7

$2.36 ฿78.7

-57.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₱149

$3.90 ฿130

-39.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ₱117

$2.05 ฿68.6

-9.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.40 ฿46.70

-12.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.5

$1.28 ฿42.89

-17.19%

Eggs

$2.08 ₱131

$2.25 ฿75.3

-7.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 ₱466

$16.94 ฿566

-56.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 ₱264

$2.74 ฿91.6

53.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 ₱427

$9.36 ฿313

-27.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 ₱155

$2.40 ฿80.3

2.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ₱128

$1.01 ฿33.92

100.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$1.61 ฿53.9

44.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱145

$1.52 ฿50.7

51.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$1.28 ฿42.90

85.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 ₱219

$1.11 ฿37.22

213.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$0.72 ฿24.09

52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.21

$0.52 ฿17.54

34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱184

$4.33 ฿145

-32.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.73 ₱550

$17.73 ฿593

-50.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱62.0

$1.63 ฿54.4

-39.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

$2.85 ฿95.3

-28.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₱31.34

$0.85 ฿28.31

-41.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.04

$1.17 ฿39.18

-37.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.57 ฿19.00

-59.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$2.37 ฿79.2

-18.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.3

$1.45 ฿48.32

-14.48%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

5.88%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-26.71%

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

$139 ₱8,744

$62.3 ฿2,083

122.81%

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

$16.19 ₱1,019

$12.27 ฿410

31.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.10 ₱1,769

$19.97 ฿668

40.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.73 ₱2,312

$37.91 ฿1,267

-3.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$7.11 ₱448

$6.71 ฿224

5.96%

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

$131 ₱8,250

$797 ฿26.6K

-83.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,456 ₱469.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-49.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,774

$53.3 ฿1,780

12.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.37 ₱1,786

$25.05 ฿837

13.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ₱4,745

$91.6 ฿3,062

-17.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₱3,442

$73.5 ฿2,455

-25.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 ₱11.3K

$464 ฿15.5K

-61.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.2 ₱4,986

$305 ฿10.2K

-74.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.3K

$915 ฿30.6K

-64.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 ₱9,110

$552 ฿18.5K

-73.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,134 ₱71.4K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-40.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 ₱30.3K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-66.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$387 ₱24.3K

$595 ฿19.9K

-35.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.57

21.18%

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

Last update for Marikina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Marikina

$206 29.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 15.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marikina

$183 26%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 48.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Marikina

$98 14%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 11.5% $11

Eating Out

Marikina

$83 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 4.7% $3.9

Accommodation & Living

Marikina

$79 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 285% $225

Sport & Entertainment

Marikina

$51 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 0.8% $0.4

Getting Around

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 1480% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $180 in Marikina versus $464 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 run about 54% 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 $32.00 in Marikina versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $206 in Marikina vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Marikina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Marikina

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

01:41 1:41 AM

1 h behind Marikina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

456,059

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marikina Chiang Mai 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Marikina
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 33% more than Marikina, 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 $1,056 per month in Marikina and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Marikina, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Marikina and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% 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 Marikina, where all-in costs run around $704, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Marikina 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. Marikina costs $704 versus $938 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 Marikina. 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.