Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Fernando, La Union and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando, La Union: $743 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando, La Union
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San Fernando, La Union Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Fernando, La Union

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $743 per month in San Fernando, La Union vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Fernando, La Union $743
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,125 per month in San Fernando, La Union vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Fernando, La Union $1,125
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,507 per month in San Fernando, La Union vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Fernando, La Union $1,507
Chiang Mai $1,979

San Fernando, La Union is about 21% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Fernando, La Union and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – San Fernando, La Union 45% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.80 ₱243

$2.24 ฿75.7

69.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.73 ₱1,071

$19.00 ฿642

-11.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.61 ₱167

$5.55 ฿188

-52.97%

Cappuccino

$2.36 ₱151

$1.67 ฿56.6

41.32%

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

$0.71 ₱45.68

$0.64 ฿21.56

10.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₱21.70

$0.31 ฿10.32

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.25 ₱80.2

$2.36 ฿79.6

-47.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ₱144

$3.66 ฿124

-38.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₱101

$1.95 ฿65.8

-19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱72.2

$1.44 ฿48.51

-21.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ₱59.4

$1.33 ฿45.07

-30.08%

Eggs

$2.05 ₱131

$2.28 ฿77.1

-10.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.89 ₱313

$16.45 ฿556

-70.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.33 ₱277

$2.78 ฿94.0

55.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.08 ₱453

$9.31 ฿314

-23.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ₱134

$2.35 ฿79.5

-11.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ₱96.9

$0.97 ฿32.82

55.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 ₱172

$1.60 ฿53.9

68.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ₱76.2

$1.50 ฿50.7

-20.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 ₱130

$1.28 ฿43.15

58.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ₱159

$1.10 ฿37.22

125.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ₱72.8

$0.71 ฿23.84

60.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₱35.08

$0.49 ฿16.38

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.91 ₱186

$4.14 ฿140

-29.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 ₱545

$17.52 ฿592

-51.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱62.7

$1.61 ฿54.5

-39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₱128

$2.78 ฿94.0

-28.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.65

$0.87 ฿29.33

-75.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.37 ₱856

$54.1 ฿1,827

-75.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.28

$1.16 ฿39.08

-36.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 ₱12.05

$0.53 ฿17.82

-64.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 ₱133

$2.42 ฿81.8

-14.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ₱66.7

$1.45 ฿48.93

-28.28%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-0.73%

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

$16.9K ₱1.1M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-37.32%

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

$135 ₱8,641

$62.2 ฿2,100

117.21%

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

$15.93 ₱1,019

$12.17 ฿411

30.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.70 ₱1,452

$20.12 ฿680

12.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.95 ₱1,980

$37.31 ฿1,260

-17.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.76 ₱369

$3.77 ฿127

52.79%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 ₱318

$6.49 ฿219

-23.42%

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

$145 ₱9,309

$736 ฿24.9K

-80.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,332 ₱533.2K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-43.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.00 ₱2,112

$53.4 ฿1,802

-38.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.89 ₱1,337

$24.64 ฿832

-15.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.4 ₱4,506

$91.5 ฿3,089

-23.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.1 ₱3,522

$71.9 ฿2,429

-23.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 ₱16.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

-47.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 ₱10.9K

$309 ฿10.4K

-45.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$484 ₱31.0K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-51.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ₱22.4K

$633 ฿21.4K

-44.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,333 ₱149.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-1.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 ₱67.6K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-33.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.92

5.57

24.24%

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

Last update for San Fernando, La Union: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San Fernando, La Union

$181 24.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 29.6% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Fernando, La Union

$174 23.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 45.6% $79

Accommodation & Living

San Fernando, La Union

$170 22.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 82.2% $139

Eating Out

San Fernando, La Union

$82 11%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 4.9% $4

Clothing & Footwear

San Fernando, La Union

$81 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 34.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

San Fernando, La Union

$41 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 22.9% $9.4

Getting Around

San Fernando, La Union

$16 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 286% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $253 in San Fernando, La Union 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17 in San Fernando, La Union versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $234 – making San Fernando, La Union the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Fernando, La Union

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

21:59 9:59 PM

1 h behind San Fernando, La Union

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,003

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.22 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Fernando, La Union Chiang Mai 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Fernando, La Union
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

San Fernando, La Union vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 26% more than San Fernando, La Union, 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 $1,115 per month in San Fernando, La Union 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 San Fernando, La Union, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $145 per month in San Fernando, La Union 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 30% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Families tend to lean toward San Fernando, La Union – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

For expats, San Fernando, La Union is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 26% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.