Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasig and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasig: $716 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Pasig
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Pasig Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Pasig

🇵🇭 Philippines

$716

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $716 per month in Pasig vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pasig $716
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,199 per month in Pasig vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pasig $1,199
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,682 per month in Pasig vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pasig $1,682
Chiang Mai $1,979

Pasig is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pasig and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Pasig 47% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ₱247

$2.24 ฿75.6

73.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.26 ₱1,673

$19.00 ฿641

38.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.74 ₱174

$5.55 ฿187

-50.63%

Cappuccino

$2.20 ₱140

$1.67 ฿56.5

31.74%

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

$0.65 ₱41.15

$0.64 ฿21.55

1.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.03

$0.31 ฿10.31

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱72.8

$2.36 ฿79.6

-51.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₱149

$3.66 ฿124

-36.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₱108

$1.95 ฿65.8

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱70.2

$1.44 ฿48.48

-23.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.4

$1.33 ฿45.04

-24.81%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$2.28 ฿77.1

-12.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.63 ₱359

$16.45 ฿555

-65.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ₱217

$2.78 ฿93.9

22.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.69 ₱490

$9.31 ฿314

-17.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 ₱196

$2.35 ฿79.4

31.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₱96.6

$0.97 ฿32.80

56.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 ₱180

$1.60 ฿53.9

76.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$1.50 ฿50.6

15.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 ₱143

$1.28 ฿43.12

75.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 ₱169

$1.10 ฿37.19

140.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 ₱136

$0.71 ฿23.82

201.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₱37.30

$0.49 ฿16.37

20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.91 ₱185

$4.14 ฿140

-29.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 ₱610

$17.52 ฿591

-45.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱82.5

$1.61 ฿54.5

-19.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ₱130

$2.78 ฿94.0

-26.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ₱30.63

$0.87 ฿29.31

-44.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.94

$1.16 ฿39.06

-33.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.70

$0.53 ฿17.80

-56.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱123

$2.42 ฿81.8

-20.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₱78.0

$1.45 ฿48.90

-15.86%

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

$21.4K ₱1.4M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

1.49%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-30.73%

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

$119 ₱7,611

$62.2 ฿2,098

92.20%

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

$16.99 ₱1,082

$12.17 ฿411

39.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.01 ₱1,529

$20.12 ฿679

19.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.49 ₱1,878

$37.31 ฿1,259

-20.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.14 ₱391

$6.49 ฿219

-5.39%

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

$131 ₱8,346

$736 ฿24.8K

-82.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,921 ₱568.2K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-39.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.15 ₱2,111

$53.4 ฿1,801

-37.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.27 ₱1,737

$24.64 ฿831

10.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.6 ₱4,432

$91.5 ฿3,087

-23.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,494

$71.9 ฿2,428

-23.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$323 ₱20.6K

$482 ฿16.3K

-32.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 ₱9,437

$309 ฿10.4K

-52.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$504 ₱32.1K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-49.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$476 ₱30.3K

$633 ฿21.4K

-24.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,203 ₱204.0K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

35.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,511 ₱159.9K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

58.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$512 ₱32.6K

$590 ฿19.9K

-13.19%

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 Pasig: 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

Pasig

$199 27.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 17.9% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasig

$160 22.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 41.1% $66

Accommodation & Living

Pasig

$148 20.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 109% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Pasig

$83 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 30.6% $25

Eating Out

Pasig

$80 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 3% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Pasig

$42 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 20.3% $8.5

Getting Around

Pasig

$3.9 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1494% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $323 in Pasig 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 15% 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 $26 in Pasig versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $199 in Pasig vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Pasig wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Pasig

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

1 h behind Pasig

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

803,159

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 = 2.65 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 = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Pasig
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Pasig, 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 $1,074 per month in Pasig 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 Pasig, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $323 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Pasig and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Pasig – 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 Pasig. 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.