Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palawan and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $790 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$790

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $790 per month in Palawan vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Palawan $790
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,234 per month in Palawan vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Palawan $1,234
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,677 per month in Palawan vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Palawan $1,677
Chiang Mai $1,999

Palawan is about 16% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Palawan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Palawan 42% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 ₱230

$2.13 ฿71.2

71.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.68 ₱1,239

$18.62 ฿622

5.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.36 ₱211

$5.60 ฿187

-40.00%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱160

$1.66 ฿55.5

53.01%

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

$0.77 ₱48.21

$0.65 ฿21.59

18.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ₱22.90

$0.30 ฿10.18

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 ₱79.0

$2.32 ฿77.5

-45.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₱135

$3.67 ฿122

-41.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱121

$2.02 ฿67.3

-4.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 ₱79.7

$1.41 ฿47.00

-9.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₱62.6

$1.39 ฿46.46

-28.78%

Eggs

$2.01 ₱126

$2.37 ฿79.0

-15.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 ₱516

$16.52 ฿551

-50.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱272

$2.67 ฿89.1

61.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.92 ₱499

$9.02 ฿301

-12.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ₱183

$2.40 ฿80.1

21.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₱95.9

$1.04 ฿34.76

46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 ₱163

$1.66 ฿55.4

55.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₱102

$1.56 ฿52.0

3.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 ₱144

$1.24 ฿41.31

84.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 ₱163

$1.09 ฿36.27

138.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₱70.3

$0.76 ฿25.43

47.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₱47.87

$0.51 ฿17.16

49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.91 ₱183

$4.12 ฿138

-29.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 ₱430

$17.93 ฿598

-61.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₱75.8

$1.62 ฿54.2

-25.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱127

$2.82 ฿94.2

-28.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₱17.69

$0.93 ฿31.19

-69.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.44 ₱720

$52.9 ฿1,766

-78.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.1

$1.18 ฿39.28

-31.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.12

$0.17 ฿5.72

41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.07 ₱131

$1.81 ฿60.5

14.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱69.3

$1.47 ฿49.16

-25.17%

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

$26.3K ₱1.7M

$21.0K ฿701.4K

24.94%

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

$20.5K ₱1.3M

$26.5K ฿885.1K

-22.53%

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

$113 ₱7,126

$62.6 ฿2,088

80.96%

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

$32.79 ₱2,064

$11.60 ฿387

182.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.49 ₱1,731

$20.30 ฿678

35.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.54 ₱2,111

$37.88 ฿1,264

-11.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.49 ₱283

$3.70 ฿123

21.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.89 ₱371

$6.51 ฿217

-9.52%

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

$151 ₱9,483

$727 ฿24.3K

-79.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,259 ₱268.1K

$16.6K ฿553.2K

-74.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.62 ₱2,872

$53.5 ฿1,787

-14.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.90 ₱1,693

$24.80 ฿828

8.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 ₱4,803

$90.4 ฿3,017

-15.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 ₱3,321

$72.0 ฿2,402

-26.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 ₱16.1K

$481 ฿16.1K

-46.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ₱11.1K

$310 ฿10.3K

-43.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 ₱36.4K

$1,058 ฿35.3K

-45.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$396 ₱24.9K

$659 ฿22.0K

-39.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,318 ₱145.9K

$2,418 ฿80.7K

-4.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 ₱69.2K

$1,609 ฿53.7K

-31.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.57

19.75%

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

Last update for Palawan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palawan

$205 26%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 15.3% $31

Accommodation & Living

Palawan

$176 22.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 76.5% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palawan

$174 22%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 45.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Palawan

$91 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 19.4% $18

Eating Out

Palawan

$85 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 9.8% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Palawan

$45 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 12.3% $5.6

Getting Around

Palawan

$15 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 302% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $256 in Palawan 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 $20 in Palawan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $205 in Palawan vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Palawan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Palawan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

1 h behind Palawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,594

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 62.95 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.66 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Palawan Chiang Mai 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Palawan
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 18% more than Palawan, 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 $1,185 per month in Palawan 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 Palawan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $151 per month in Palawan 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 15% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Palawan – 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.