Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tacloban and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacloban: $771 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Tacloban
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Tacloban Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tacloban

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $771 per month in Tacloban vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tacloban $771
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,152 per month in Tacloban vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tacloban $1,152
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,532 per month in Tacloban vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tacloban $1,532
Chiang Mai $1,979

Tacloban is about 18% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Tacloban and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Tacloban 43% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.00 ₱255

$2.24 ฿75.6

78.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.55 ₱991

$19.00 ฿641

-18.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.33 ₱148

$5.55 ฿187

-58.02%

Cappuccino

$2.31 ₱147

$1.67 ฿56.5

38.32%

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

$0.68 ₱43.45

$0.64 ฿21.54

6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ₱23.15

$0.31 ฿10.31

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 ₱101

$2.36 ฿79.5

-32.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₱138

$3.66 ฿124

-40.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ₱122

$1.95 ฿65.7

-2.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.4

$1.44 ฿48.46

-22.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 ₱51.1

$1.33 ฿45.03

-39.85%

Eggs

$1.89 ₱121

$2.28 ฿77.1

-17.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 ₱640

$16.45 ฿555

-38.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 ₱262

$2.78 ฿93.9

47.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.18 ₱457

$9.31 ฿314

-22.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 ₱203

$2.35 ฿79.4

35.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₱68.6

$0.97 ฿32.79

11.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 ₱145

$1.60 ฿53.9

42.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 ₱93.0

$1.50 ฿50.6

-2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱146

$1.28 ฿43.11

79.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 ₱118

$1.10 ฿37.18

68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₱69.5

$0.71 ฿23.82

53.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₱38.15

$0.49 ฿16.36

22.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 ₱119

$4.14 ฿140

-55.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 ₱401

$17.52 ฿591

-64.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ₱68.2

$1.61 ฿54.5

-33.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱109

$2.78 ฿93.9

-38.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.79

$0.87 ฿29.30

-77.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.30 ₱784

$54.1 ฿1,825

-77.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.75

$1.16 ฿39.04

-32.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.03

$0.53 ฿17.80

-58.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 ₱119

$2.42 ฿81.7

-23.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ₱66.0

$1.45 ฿48.88

-28.28%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

0.90%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-30.09%

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

$117 ₱7,465

$62.2 ฿2,098

88.43%

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

$15.64 ₱997

$12.17 ฿411

28.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.34 ₱1,806

$20.12 ฿679

40.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.68 ₱2,018

$37.31 ฿1,259

-15.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.30 ₱338

$3.77 ฿127

40.58%

Cinema Ticket

$5.36 ₱341

$6.49 ฿219

-17.41%

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

$131 ₱8,335

$736 ฿24.8K

-82.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,929 ₱505.2K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-46.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.33 ₱2,060

$53.4 ฿1,801

-39.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.29 ₱1,229

$24.64 ฿831

-21.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ₱4,876

$91.5 ฿3,087

-16.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.0 ₱3,567

$71.9 ฿2,427

-22.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 ₱16.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

-47.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ₱12.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

-38.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 ₱31.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-50.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ₱22.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

-45.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,586 ₱164.8K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

9.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,114 ₱71.0K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-29.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$340 ₱21.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

-42.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.57

29.26%

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

Last update for Tacloban: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tacloban

$195 25.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 19.9% $39

Accommodation & Living

Tacloban

$191 24.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 61.4% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tacloban

$161 20.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 41.4% $67

Eating Out

Tacloban

$83 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 6.7% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Tacloban

$83 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 31.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Tacloban

$42 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 18.6% $7.9

Getting Around

Tacloban

$15 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 310% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $254 in Tacloban 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.

Salaries run about 73% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Tacloban versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $234 – making Tacloban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tacloban

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h behind Tacloban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,089

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tacloban Chiang Mai 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tacloban
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 21% more than Tacloban, 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 $1,157 per month in Tacloban 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 Tacloban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $131 per month in Tacloban 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 20% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

If budget matters most, go with Tacloban. 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.