Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nueva Ecija and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Nueva Ecija: $517 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Nueva Ecija
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Nueva Ecija Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nueva Ecija

🇵🇭 Philippines

$517

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $517 per month in Nueva Ecija vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nueva Ecija $517
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $912 per month in Nueva Ecija vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nueva Ecija $912
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,307 per month in Nueva Ecija vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nueva Ecija $1,307
Chiang Mai $1,979

Nueva Ecija is about 45% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nueva Ecija and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Nueva Ecija 62% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 ₱246

$2.24 ฿75.7

71.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.14 ₱1,031

$19.00 ฿642

-15.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱174

$5.55 ฿188

-50.99%

Cappuccino

$1.43 ₱91.4

$1.67 ฿56.6

-14.37%

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

$0.55 ₱35.33

$0.64 ฿21.56

-14.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.45

$0.31 ฿10.32

-3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱60.2

$2.36 ฿79.6

-60.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₱98.9

$3.66 ฿124

-57.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱102

$1.95 ฿65.8

-17.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₱60.0

$1.44 ฿48.51

-34.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₱59.0

$1.33 ฿45.07

-30.83%

Eggs

$1.57 ₱100

$2.28 ฿77.1

-31.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.89 ₱313

$16.45 ฿556

-70.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱210

$2.78 ฿94.0

18.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.70 ₱364

$9.31 ฿314

-38.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 ₱139

$2.35 ฿79.5

-7.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ₱44.00

$0.97 ฿32.82

-28.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$1.60 ฿53.9

5.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ₱67.2

$1.50 ฿50.7

-30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$1.28 ฿43.15

35.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.10 ฿37.22

60.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ₱40.93

$0.71 ฿23.84

-9.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ₱26.51

$0.49 ฿16.38

-16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 ₱144

$4.14 ฿140

-45.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.23 ₱270

$17.52 ฿592

-75.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱57.5

$1.61 ฿54.5

-44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱126

$2.78 ฿94.0

-29.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₱18.06

$0.87 ฿29.33

-67.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.35 ₱342

$54.1 ฿1,827

-90.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.80

$1.16 ฿39.08

-37.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.14 ₱8.77

$0.53 ฿17.82

-73.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₱65.9

$2.42 ฿81.8

-57.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 ₱54.5

$1.45 ฿48.93

-41.38%

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

$15.8K ₱1.0M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-25.02%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-29.59%

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

$78.6 ₱5,019

$62.2 ฿2,100

26.36%

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

$17.26 ₱1,103

$12.17 ฿411

41.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.13 ₱1,158

$20.12 ฿680

-9.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.13 ₱1,989

$37.31 ฿1,260

-16.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.65 ₱297

$3.77 ฿127

23.34%

Cinema Ticket

$4.32 ₱276

$6.49 ฿219

-33.44%

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

$133 ₱8,488

$736 ฿24.9K

-81.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₱694.7K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-26.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.55 ₱1,824

$53.4 ฿1,802

-46.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.54 ₱1,248

$24.64 ฿832

-20.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ₱4,501

$91.5 ฿3,089

-22.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.9 ₱3,443

$71.9 ฿2,429

-25.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$113 ₱7,241

$482 ฿16.3K

-76.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$66.9 ₱4,272

$309 ฿10.4K

-78.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.1K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-82.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ₱22.2K

$633 ฿21.4K

-45.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,619 ₱167.4K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

10.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,200 ₱76.7K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-24.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 ₱11.8K

$590 ฿19.9K

-68.80%

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 Nueva Ecija: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nueva Ecija

$144 27.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 63% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nueva Ecija

$114 22%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 17.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Nueva Ecija

$78 15%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 40% $31

Eating Out

Nueva Ecija

$67 13%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 15.2% $10

Accommodation & Living

Nueva Ecija

$67 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 362% $242

Sport & Entertainment

Nueva Ecija

$40 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.4% $11

Getting Around

Nueva Ecija

$7.9 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 678% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $113 in Nueva Ecija versus $482 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 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Nueva Ecija versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $144 vs $234 – making Nueva Ecija the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Nueva Ecija

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

05:28 5:28 AM

1 h behind Nueva Ecija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,610

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nueva Ecija Chiang Mai 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nueva Ecija
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

Nueva Ecija vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 81% more than Nueva Ecija, 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 $776 per month in Nueva Ecija 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 Nueva Ecija, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $113 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $133 per month in Nueva Ecija and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 63% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Nueva Ecija, where all-in costs run around $517, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Nueva Ecija it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nueva Ecija – 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 Nueva Ecija. 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.