Last update: Nov 2026

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

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro: $707 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

San Pedro

🇵🇭 Philippines

$707

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $707 per month in San Pedro vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Pedro $707
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,074 per month in San Pedro vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Pedro $1,074
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,442 per month in San Pedro vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Pedro $1,442
Chiang Mai $1,999

San Pedro is about 24% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Pedro and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – San Pedro 48% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.81 ₱242

$2.13 ฿71.8

78.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.66 ₱1,059

$18.62 ฿626

-10.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱177

$5.60 ฿188

-50.18%

Cappuccino

$1.76 ₱112

$1.66 ฿55.9

6.02%

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

$0.55 ₱34.86

$0.65 ฿21.75

-15.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.70

$0.30 ฿10.25

3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₱64.9

$2.32 ฿78.1

-56.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ₱100

$3.67 ฿123

-57.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ₱104

$2.02 ฿67.8

-19.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱69.4

$1.41 ฿47.34

-22.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱64.4

$1.39 ฿46.79

-27.34%

Eggs

$1.96 ₱125

$2.37 ฿79.6

-17.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.83 ₱307

$16.52 ฿555

-70.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ₱217

$2.67 ฿89.8

27.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.77 ₱431

$9.02 ฿303

-24.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ₱142

$2.40 ฿80.6

-6.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₱99.9

$1.04 ฿35.01

50.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$1.66 ฿55.8

36.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.2

$1.56 ฿52.4

-32.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 ₱104

$1.24 ฿41.61

31.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.09 ฿36.53

62.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 ₱59.6

$0.76 ฿25.61

23.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.49

$0.51 ฿17.29

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.90 ₱185

$4.12 ฿139

-29.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.69 ₱553

$17.93 ฿603

-51.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₱57.8

$1.62 ฿54.6

-43.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱126

$2.82 ฿94.9

-29.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.29

$0.93 ฿31.42

-74.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.33 ₱784

$52.9 ฿1,778

-76.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₱46.09

$1.18 ฿39.56

-38.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.73

$0.17 ฿5.76

17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₱117

$1.81 ฿60.9

1.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ₱75.3

$1.47 ฿49.51

-19.73%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

-0.28%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$26.5K ฿891.4K

-28.44%

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

$121 ₱7,665

$62.6 ฿2,103

92.71%

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

$15.83 ₱1,006

$11.60 ฿390

36.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.27 ₱1,479

$20.30 ฿683

14.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.50 ₱2,003

$37.88 ฿1,274

-16.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.10 ₱324

$3.70 ฿124

37.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.17 ₱329

$6.51 ฿219

-20.58%

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

$130 ₱8,269

$727 ฿24.4K

-82.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,736 ₱555.4K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-47.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.24 ₱1,796

$53.5 ฿1,800

-47.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.23 ₱1,222

$24.80 ฿834

-22.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ₱4,551

$90.4 ฿3,039

-20.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 ₱3,536

$72.0 ฿2,420

-22.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 ₱16.0K

$481 ฿16.2K

-47.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 ₱10.8K

$310 ฿10.4K

-45.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$484 ₱30.8K

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-54.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ₱22.3K

$659 ฿22.1K

-46.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,591 ₱164.8K

$2,418 ฿81.3K

7.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,089 ₱69.2K

$1,609 ฿54.1K

-32.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$125 ₱7,951

$595 ฿20.0K

-78.98%

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 Pedro: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro

$170 24.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 39.1% $66

Accommodation & Living

San Pedro

$170 24%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 82.8% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro

$160 22.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 40.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro

$79 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 37.8% $30

Eating Out

San Pedro

$72 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 6.7% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro

$42 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 21.6% $9

Getting Around

San Pedro

$15 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 291% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $252 in San Pedro 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.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17 in San Pedro versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $170 vs $237 – making San Pedro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Pedro

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

1 h behind San Pedro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

326,001

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 4, 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 4, 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

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

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

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than San Pedro, 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 $1,060 per month in San Pedro 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 Pedro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $252 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $130 per month in San Pedro 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 39% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward San Pedro – 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 San Pedro. 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.