Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Subic Bay Freeport Zone and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Subic Bay Freeport Zone: $641 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Subic Bay Freeport Zone
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Subic Bay Freeport Zone Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🇵🇭 Philippines

$641

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $641 per month in Subic Bay Freeport Zone vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Subic Bay Freeport Zone $641
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $978 per month in Subic Bay Freeport Zone vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Subic Bay Freeport Zone $978
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,315 per month in Subic Bay Freeport Zone vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Subic Bay Freeport Zone $1,315
Chiang Mai $1,979

Subic Bay Freeport Zone is about 31% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Subic Bay Freeport Zone and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Subic Bay Freeport Zone 53% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 ₱293

$2.24 ฿75.6

105.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.04 ₱895

$19.00 ฿641

-26.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ₱327

$5.55 ฿187

-7.57%

Cappuccino

$2.21 ₱141

$1.67 ฿56.5

32.34%

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

$0.68 ₱43.06

$0.64 ฿21.54

6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.33

$0.31 ฿10.31

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 ₱88.6

$2.36 ฿79.5

-41.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₱128

$3.66 ฿124

-45.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₱100

$1.95 ฿65.7

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱69.6

$1.44 ฿48.46

-24.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 ₱54.2

$1.33 ฿45.03

-36.09%

Eggs

$1.93 ₱123

$2.28 ฿77.1

-15.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.86 ₱310

$16.45 ฿555

-70.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 ₱255

$2.78 ฿93.9

43.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 ₱481

$9.31 ฿314

-18.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ₱136

$2.35 ฿79.4

-9.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$0.97 ฿32.79

78.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 ₱162

$1.60 ฿53.9

58.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ₱73.3

$1.50 ฿50.6

-23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 ₱141

$1.28 ฿43.11

72.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 ₱133

$1.10 ฿37.18

89.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₱58.7

$0.71 ฿23.82

29.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₱38.59

$0.49 ฿16.36

24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 ₱181

$4.14 ฿140

-31.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 ₱468

$17.52 ฿591

-58.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₱58.8

$1.61 ฿54.5

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₱117

$2.78 ฿93.9

-34.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₱11.78

$0.87 ฿29.30

-79.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.86 ₱819

$54.1 ฿1,825

-76.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱51.3

$1.16 ฿39.04

-31.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.38

$0.53 ฿17.80

-60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱118

$2.42 ฿81.7

-23.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ₱65.9

$1.45 ฿48.88

-28.97%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

-9.16%

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

$20.0K ₱1.3M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-25.91%

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

$135 ₱8,582

$62.2 ฿2,098

116.65%

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

$14.33 ₱913

$12.17 ฿411

17.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.57 ₱1,056

$20.12 ฿679

-17.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.08 ₱1,917

$37.31 ฿1,259

-19.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.28 ₱337

$3.77 ฿127

40.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 ₱333

$6.49 ฿219

-19.41%

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

$127 ₱8,082

$736 ฿24.8K

-82.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,688 ₱489.9K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-47.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.05 ₱1,851

$53.4 ฿1,801

-45.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.80 ₱1,325

$24.64 ฿831

-15.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.5 ₱4,047

$91.5 ฿3,087

-30.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.93 ₱2,991

$71.9 ฿2,427

-34.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$124 ₱7,900

$482 ฿16.3K

-74.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.0 ₱4,908

$309 ฿10.4K

-75.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$323 ₱20.6K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-67.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 ₱11.9K

$633 ฿21.4K

-70.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 ₱155.1K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

3.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 ₱72.8K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-28.09%

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 Subic Bay Freeport Zone: 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

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$177 27.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 32.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$166 25.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 43% $71

Eating Out

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$94 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 17.3% $16

Accommodation & Living

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$77 12%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 301% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$72 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 50.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$41 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 24% $9.7

Getting Around

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$15 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 297% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $124 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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 $14 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $234 – making Subic Bay Freeport Zone the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

13:09 1:09 PM

1 h behind Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

221,178

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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Subic Bay Freeport Zone Chiang Mai 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Subic Bay Freeport Zone
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

Subic Bay Freeport Zone vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Subic Bay Freeport Zone, 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 $962 per month in Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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 Subic Bay Freeport Zone, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $124 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $127 per month in Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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 33% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Subic Bay Freeport Zone, where all-in costs run around $641, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Subic Bay Freeport Zone it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Subic Bay Freeport Zone – 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.

For expats, Subic Bay Freeport Zone is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 31% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.