Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Fernando, Philippines and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando: $807 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
Learn more

San Fernando Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

San Fernando

🇵🇭 Philippines

$807

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $807 per month in San Fernando vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Fernando $807
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,271 per month in San Fernando vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Fernando $1,271
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,735 per month in San Fernando vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Fernando $1,735
Chiang Mai $1,999

San Fernando is about 14% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Fernando and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – San Fernando 40% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 ₱195

$2.13 ฿71.8

44.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.84 ₱1,516

$18.62 ฿626

28.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱179

$5.60 ฿188

-49.64%

Cappuccino

$1.71 ₱109

$1.66 ฿55.9

3.01%

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

$0.64 ₱40.43

$0.65 ฿21.75

-1.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ₱24.23

$0.30 ฿10.25

26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 ₱69.3

$2.32 ฿78.1

-53.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₱124

$3.67 ฿123

-46.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ₱112

$2.02 ฿67.8

-12.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 ₱55.0

$1.41 ฿47.34

-38.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ₱61.1

$1.39 ฿46.79

-30.94%

Eggs

$1.90 ₱121

$2.37 ฿79.6

-19.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.60 ₱293

$16.52 ฿555

-72.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ₱210

$2.67 ฿89.8

23.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.04 ₱448

$9.02 ฿303

-21.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 ₱164

$2.40 ฿80.6

7.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 ₱131

$1.04 ฿35.01

98.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 ₱175

$1.66 ฿55.8

65.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 ₱58.2

$1.56 ฿52.4

-41.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 ₱88.0

$1.24 ฿41.61

11.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ₱83.8

$1.09 ฿36.53

21.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.09

$0.76 ฿25.61

-14.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 ₱22.37

$0.51 ฿17.29

-31.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 ₱172

$4.12 ฿139

-34.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.96 ₱442

$17.93 ฿603

-61.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₱47.73

$1.62 ฿54.6

-53.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ₱187

$2.82 ฿94.9

4.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.80

$0.93 ฿31.42

-73.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.59 ₱864

$52.9 ฿1,778

-74.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₱63.7

$1.18 ฿39.56

-15.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.70

$0.17 ฿5.76

17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱123

$1.81 ฿60.9

7.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₱80.7

$1.47 ฿49.51

-13.61%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

0.04%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$26.5K ฿891.4K

-28.13%

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

$96.3 ₱6,121

$62.6 ฿2,103

53.88%

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

$17.18 ₱1,092

$11.60 ฿390

48.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.29 ₱1,926

$20.30 ฿683

49.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.66 ₱2,013

$37.88 ฿1,274

-16.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.57 ₱990

$3.70 ฿124

320.81%

Cinema Ticket

$4.66 ₱296

$6.51 ฿219

-28.42%

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

$267 ₱17.0K

$727 ฿24.4K

-63.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K ₱855.9K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-18.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.06 ₱3,119

$53.5 ฿1,800

-8.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.73 ₱2,399

$24.80 ฿834

52.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.4 ₱4,542

$90.4 ฿3,039

-20.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 ₱4,982

$72.0 ฿2,420

8.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₱25.6K

$481 ฿16.2K

-16.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 ₱16.9K

$310 ฿10.4K

-14.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$724 ₱46.0K

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-31.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 ₱35.6K

$659 ฿22.1K

-15.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,249 ₱270.2K

$2,418 ฿81.3K

75.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,385 ₱151.6K

$1,609 ฿54.1K

48.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 San Fernando: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Fernando

$266 32.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 16.7% $44

Groceries & Markets

San Fernando

$167 20.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 41.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Fernando

$144 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 34.3% $49

Clothing & Footwear

San Fernando

$106 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 1.7% $1.9

Eating Out

San Fernando

$67 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 14.3% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

San Fernando

$41 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 24.2% $9.9

Getting Around

San Fernando

$17 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 254% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in San Fernando 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 $24 in San Fernando versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $167 in San Fernando vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so San Fernando wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Fernando

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

07:36 7:36 AM

1 h behind San Fernando

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

354,666

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

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

Chiang Mai costs about 16% more than San Fernando, 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 $1,211 per month in San Fernando 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, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $267 per month in San Fernando 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 42% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $807 in San Fernando and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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