Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siargao and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Siargao: $783 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Siargao
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Siargao Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Siargao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$783

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $783 per month in Siargao vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Siargao $783
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,222 per month in Siargao vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Siargao $1,222
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,660 per month in Siargao vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Siargao $1,660
Chiang Mai $1,979

Siargao is about 16% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Siargao and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Siargao 42% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ₱233

$2.24 ฿75.6

63.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.68 ₱1,253

$19.00 ฿641

3.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.32 ₱211

$5.55 ฿187

-40.18%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₱160

$1.67 ฿56.5

49.70%

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

$0.83 ₱52.7

$0.64 ฿21.55

29.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₱25.27

$0.31 ฿10.31

29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₱81.9

$2.36 ฿79.6

-45.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ₱137

$3.66 ฿124

-40.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱122

$1.95 ฿65.8

-1.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱80.2

$1.44 ฿48.48

-12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ₱59.5

$1.33 ฿45.04

-30.08%

Eggs

$2.05 ₱131

$2.28 ฿77.1

-10.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 ₱517

$16.45 ฿555

-50.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.26 ₱272

$2.78 ฿93.9

53.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱478

$9.31 ฿314

-19.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ₱185

$2.35 ฿79.4

23.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₱97.1

$0.97 ฿32.80

56.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 ₱165

$1.60 ฿53.9

61.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ₱99.8

$1.50 ฿50.6

4.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 ₱140

$1.28 ฿43.12

71.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ₱165

$1.10 ฿37.19

135.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₱68.6

$0.71 ฿23.82

52.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₱45.97

$0.49 ฿16.37

46.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 ₱179

$4.14 ฿140

-32.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.94 ₱442

$17.52 ฿591

-60.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₱73.6

$1.61 ฿54.5

-27.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₱129

$2.78 ฿94.0

-26.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.42

$0.87 ฿29.31

-70.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.37 ₱724

$54.1 ฿1,826

-78.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.61

$1.16 ฿39.06

-32.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.37

$0.53 ฿17.80

-54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.09 ₱133

$2.42 ฿81.8

-13.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ₱72.5

$1.45 ฿48.90

-21.38%

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

$26.6K ₱1.7M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

26.49%

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

$20.3K ₱1.3M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-24.66%

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

$112 ₱7,124

$62.2 ฿2,098

79.91%

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

$32.27 ₱2,056

$12.17 ฿411

165.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.58 ₱1,757

$20.12 ฿679

37.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.95 ₱2,162

$37.31 ฿1,259

-9.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.50 ₱287

$3.77 ฿127

19.36%

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 ₱381

$6.49 ฿219

-7.86%

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

$151 ₱9,619

$736 ฿24.8K

-79.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,239 ₱270.0K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-71.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.52 ₱2,899

$53.4 ฿1,801

-14.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.51 ₱1,689

$24.64 ฿831

7.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ₱4,869

$91.5 ฿3,087

-16.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.2 ₱3,450

$71.9 ฿2,428

-24.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 ₱16.8K

$482 ฿16.3K

-45.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱11.0K

$309 ฿10.4K

-43.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$580 ₱37.0K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-42.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 ₱24.6K

$633 ฿21.4K

-38.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,322 ₱147.9K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-1.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,123 ₱71.5K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-29.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.57

19.75%

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

Last update for Siargao: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Siargao

$202 25.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 15.9% $32

Accommodation & Living

Siargao

$173 22.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 78.3% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Siargao

$172 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 45% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Siargao

$91 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 19.1% $17

Eating Out

Siargao

$85 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 8.6% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Siargao

$46 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 9.5% $4.4

Getting Around

Siargao

$14 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 327% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $263 in Siargao 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 $20 in Siargao versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $202 in Siargao vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Siargao wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Siargao

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:54 12:54 PM

11:54 11:54 AM

1 h behind Siargao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,000

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

Siargao Chiang Mai 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Siargao
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Siargao, 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 $1,175 per month in Siargao 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 Siargao, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $151 per month in Siargao 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 16% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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