Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olongapo and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Olongapo: $694 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Olongapo
Learn more

Olongapo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Olongapo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$694

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $694 per month in Olongapo vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Olongapo $694
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,056 per month in Olongapo vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Olongapo $1,056
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,418 per month in Olongapo vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Olongapo $1,418
Chiang Mai $1,979

Olongapo is about 26% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Olongapo and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Olongapo 49% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 ₱257

$2.24 ฿75.7

79.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.23 ₱1,037

$19.00 ฿642

-14.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 ₱174

$5.55 ฿188

-50.81%

Cappuccino

$1.82 ₱116

$1.67 ฿56.6

8.98%

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

$0.54 ₱34.62

$0.64 ฿21.56

-15.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.11

$0.31 ฿10.32

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱65.7

$2.36 ฿79.6

-56.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ₱92.2

$3.66 ฿124

-60.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₱106

$1.95 ฿65.8

-14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 ₱25.98

$1.44 ฿48.51

-71.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₱52.2

$1.33 ฿45.07

-38.35%

Eggs

$1.90 ₱121

$2.28 ฿77.1

-16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.89 ₱312

$16.45 ฿556

-70.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ₱161

$2.78 ฿94.0

-9.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 ₱498

$9.31 ฿314

-16.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ₱144

$2.35 ฿79.5

-4.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ₱62.1

$0.97 ฿32.82

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱152

$1.60 ฿53.9

48.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ₱67.1

$1.50 ฿50.7

-30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 ₱105

$1.28 ฿43.15

28.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ₱111

$1.10 ฿37.22

58.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.61

$0.71 ฿23.84

-12.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ₱26.15

$0.49 ฿16.38

-16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 ₱190

$4.14 ฿140

-28.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₱533

$17.52 ฿592

-52.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₱55.9

$1.61 ฿54.5

-45.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₱129

$2.78 ฿94.0

-26.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.71

$0.87 ฿29.33

-71.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.98 ₱830

$54.1 ฿1,827

-76.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₱47.74

$1.16 ฿39.08

-35.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.38

$0.53 ฿17.82

-54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱118

$2.42 ฿81.8

-23.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₱68.6

$1.45 ฿48.93

-26.21%

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

$20.6K ₱1.3M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-1.99%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-30.07%

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

$124 ₱7,946

$62.2 ฿2,100

100.05%

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

$17.26 ₱1,103

$12.17 ฿411

41.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.34 ₱1,491

$20.12 ฿680

16.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.45 ₱2,009

$37.31 ฿1,260

-15.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.91 ₱378

$3.77 ฿127

56.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.33 ₱276

$6.49 ฿219

-33.28%

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

$76.8 ₱4,907

$736 ฿24.9K

-89.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱678.8K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-28.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.90 ₱1,847

$53.4 ฿1,802

-45.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.85 ₱1,204

$24.64 ฿832

-23.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ₱4,536

$91.5 ฿3,089

-22.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.1 ₱3,456

$71.9 ฿2,429

-24.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ₱16.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

-47.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 ₱10.6K

$309 ฿10.4K

-46.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$259 ₱16.5K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-74.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ₱22.5K

$633 ฿21.4K

-44.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,416 ₱154.4K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

2.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,119 ₱71.5K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-29.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$134 ₱8,587

$590 ฿19.9K

-77.21%

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 Olongapo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Olongapo

$167 24%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 85.5% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olongapo

$165 23.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 42.7% $71

Groceries & Markets

Olongapo

$155 22.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 51.2% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Olongapo

$78 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 39.7% $31

Eating Out

Olongapo

$74 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 5.2% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Olongapo

$40 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 25.4% $10

Getting Around

Olongapo

$16 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 285% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $251 in Olongapo 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 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Olongapo versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $155 vs $234 – making Olongapo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Olongapo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

03:00 3:00 AM

1 h behind Olongapo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

233,040

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

Olongapo Chiang Mai 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Olongapo
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 35% more than Olongapo, 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 $1,041 per month in Olongapo 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 Olongapo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $251 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $77 per month in Olongapo 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 51% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Olongapo, where all-in costs run around $694, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Olongapo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Olongapo – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Olongapo. 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.