Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paranaque City and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Paranaque City: $779 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Paranaque City
Learn more

Paranaque City Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Paranaque City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$779

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $779 per month in Paranaque City vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Paranaque City $779
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,171 per month in Paranaque City vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Paranaque City $1,171
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,562 per month in Paranaque City vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Paranaque City $1,562
Chiang Mai $1,979

Paranaque City is about 17% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Paranaque City and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Paranaque City 43% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.28 ₱272

$2.24 ฿75.6

91.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.28 ₱1,034

$19.00 ฿641

-14.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.80 ₱178

$5.55 ฿187

-49.55%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ₱128

$1.67 ฿56.5

20.96%

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

$0.68 ₱43.02

$0.64 ฿21.53

6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.63

$0.31 ฿10.30

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₱67.2

$2.36 ฿79.5

-55.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ₱177

$3.66 ฿124

-24.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₱106

$1.95 ฿65.7

-14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱70.2

$1.44 ฿48.45

-23.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ₱60.9

$1.33 ฿45.01

-27.82%

Eggs

$2.07 ₱131

$2.28 ฿77.0

-9.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.10 ₱324

$16.45 ฿555

-69.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.01 ₱255

$2.78 ฿93.8

44.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.64 ₱485

$9.31 ฿314

-17.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 ₱253

$2.35 ฿79.4

69.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₱99.5

$0.97 ฿32.78

61.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 ₱217

$1.60 ฿53.9

113.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ₱70.3

$1.50 ฿50.6

-26.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 ₱105

$1.28 ฿43.10

29.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 ₱114

$1.10 ฿37.17

62.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ₱56.9

$0.71 ฿23.81

26.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.91

$0.49 ฿16.36

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ₱179

$4.14 ฿140

-31.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.38 ₱469

$17.52 ฿591

-57.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.7

$1.61 ฿54.5

-40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱130

$2.78 ฿93.9

-26.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.71

$0.87 ฿29.29

-74.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.92 ₱694

$54.1 ฿1,825

-79.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.68

$1.16 ฿39.03

-33.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.63

$0.53 ฿17.79

-56.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$2.42 ฿81.7

-21.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₱77.2

$1.45 ฿48.87

-15.86%

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

$20.6K ₱1.3M

$21.1K ฿710.3K

-2.18%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-30.33%

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

$138 ₱8,776

$62.2 ฿2,097

122.29%

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

$14.32 ₱910

$12.17 ฿410

17.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.17 ₱1,535

$20.12 ฿679

20.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.84 ₱2,276

$37.31 ฿1,259

-3.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.36 ₱340

$3.77 ฿127

42.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.70 ₱426

$6.49 ฿219

3.24%

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

$71.7 ₱4,551

$736 ฿24.8K

-90.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,272 ₱398.3K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-57.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.85 ₱2,277

$53.4 ฿1,800

-32.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.79 ₱1,194

$24.64 ฿831

-23.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 ₱4,411

$91.5 ฿3,086

-24.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 ₱4,766

$71.9 ฿2,426

4.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 ₱13.6K

$482 ฿16.3K

-55.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ₱11.4K

$309 ฿10.4K

-41.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 ₱34.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-45.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ₱22.2K

$633 ฿21.4K

-44.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,105 ₱70.2K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-53.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$414 ₱26.3K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-73.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$487 ₱30.9K

$590 ฿19.9K

-17.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

25.67%

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

Last update for Paranaque City: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Paranaque City

$188 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 24.5% $46

Accommodation & Living

Paranaque City

$180 23.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 71.6% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paranaque City

$177 22.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 46.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Paranaque City

$90 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 21.2% $19

Eating Out

Paranaque City

$82 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 5% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Paranaque City

$49 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 2.1% $1

Getting Around

Paranaque City

$14 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 348% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Paranaque City 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 run about 21% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Paranaque City versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $234 – making Paranaque City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Paranaque City

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

22:29 10:29 PM

1 h behind Paranaque City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

703,245

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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.51 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 70.87 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Paranaque City
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

Paranaque City vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 20% more than Paranaque City, 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 $1,169 per month in Paranaque City 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 Paranaque City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $215 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $72 per month in Paranaque City 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 25% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $779 in Paranaque City and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Paranaque City – 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 Paranaque City. 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.