Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose del Monte and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose del Monte: $731 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in San Jose del Monte
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San Jose del Monte Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Jose del Monte

🇵🇭 Philippines

$731

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $731 per month in San Jose del Monte vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Jose del Monte $731
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,096 per month in San Jose del Monte vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Jose del Monte $1,096
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,461 per month in San Jose del Monte vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Jose del Monte $1,461
Chiang Mai $1,979

San Jose del Monte is about 22% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Jose del Monte and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – San Jose del Monte 46% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 ₱252

$2.24 ฿75.7

75.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.34 ₱1,044

$19.00 ฿642

-14.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 ₱174

$5.55 ฿188

-50.81%

Cappuccino

$1.74 ₱111

$1.67 ฿56.6

4.19%

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

$0.56 ₱35.61

$0.64 ฿21.56

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.71

$0.31 ฿10.32

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$2.36 ฿79.6

-60.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱102

$3.66 ฿124

-56.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₱105

$1.95 ฿65.8

-15.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱72.8

$1.44 ฿48.51

-20.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.9

$1.33 ฿45.07

-29.32%

Eggs

$2.02 ₱129

$2.28 ฿77.1

-11.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.07 ₱324

$16.45 ฿556

-69.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ₱210

$2.78 ฿94.0

17.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.92 ₱442

$9.31 ฿314

-25.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ₱145

$2.35 ฿79.5

-3.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₱100

$0.97 ฿32.82

61.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ₱152

$1.60 ฿53.9

48.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.9

$1.50 ฿50.7

-32.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 ₱109

$1.28 ฿43.15

32.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$1.10 ฿37.22

53.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.24

$0.71 ฿23.84

-8.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₱30.52

$0.49 ฿16.38

-2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$4.14 ฿140

-30.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 ₱563

$17.52 ฿592

-49.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ₱60.1

$1.61 ฿54.5

-41.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₱126

$2.78 ฿94.0

-29.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.69

$0.87 ฿29.33

-75.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.48 ₱797

$54.1 ฿1,827

-76.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₱48.17

$1.16 ฿39.08

-35.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.73

$0.53 ฿17.82

-56.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 ₱122

$2.42 ฿81.8

-21.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₱78.2

$1.45 ฿48.93

-15.86%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-0.96%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-30.62%

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

$122 ₱7,788

$62.2 ฿2,100

96.08%

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

$15.32 ₱979

$12.17 ฿411

25.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.05 ₱1,472

$20.12 ฿680

14.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.72 ₱2,282

$37.31 ฿1,260

-4.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.50 ₱351

$3.77 ฿127

45.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 ₱334

$6.49 ฿219

-19.57%

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

$129 ₱8,244

$736 ฿24.9K

-82.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,762 ₱559.8K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-40.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.74 ₱1,836

$53.4 ฿1,802

-46.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.98 ₱1,213

$24.64 ฿832

-22.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ₱4,502

$91.5 ฿3,089

-22.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.7 ₱3,428

$71.9 ฿2,429

-25.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$230 ₱14.7K

$482 ฿16.3K

-52.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ₱12.1K

$309 ฿10.4K

-38.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 ₱27.9K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-56.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₱23.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

-42.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,325 ₱148.6K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-1.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,217 ₱77.8K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-23.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 San Jose del Monte: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose del Monte

$189 25.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 63.3% $120

Groceries & Markets

San Jose del Monte

$170 23.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 37.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose del Monte

$160 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 41.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose del Monte

$77 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 40.5% $31

Eating Out

San Jose del Monte

$72 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 7.9% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose del Monte

$46 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 8.9% $4.1

Getting Around

San Jose del Monte

$15 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 303% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $230 in San Jose del Monte 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 $16 in San Jose del Monte versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $170 vs $234 – making San Jose del Monte the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Jose del Monte

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

1 h behind San Jose del Monte

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

651,813

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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Jose del Monte Chiang Mai 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose del Monte
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 Jose del Monte vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than San Jose del Monte, 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 $1,096 per month in San Jose del Monte 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 Jose del Monte, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $230 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $129 per month in San Jose del Monte 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 38% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

For expats, San Jose del Monte is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 22% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.