Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valencia City and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Valencia City: $734 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Valencia City
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Valencia City Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Valencia City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$734

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $734 per month in Valencia City vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valencia City $734
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,125 per month in Valencia City vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valencia City $1,125
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,516 per month in Valencia City vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valencia City $1,516
Chiang Mai $1,914

Valencia City is about 22% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Valencia City and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Valencia City 46% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.91 ₱183

$2.26 ฿75.4

28.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.68 ₱1,050

$19.18 ฿641

-13.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.02 ₱127

$5.59 ฿187

-63.86%

Cappuccino

$2.26 ₱142

$1.72 ฿57.6

31.40%

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

$0.39 ₱24.45

$0.64 ฿21.54

-39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₱26.20

$0.33 ฿11.18

27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₱73.6

$2.36 ฿78.7

-50.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₱121

$3.90 ฿130

-50.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱123

$2.05 ฿68.6

-4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱71.5

$1.40 ฿46.70

-18.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ₱49.20

$1.28 ฿42.89

-39.06%

Eggs

$1.58 ₱99.2

$2.25 ฿75.3

-29.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.42 ₱404

$16.94 ฿566

-62.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 ₱305

$2.74 ฿91.6

77.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 ₱578

$9.36 ฿313

-1.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ₱172

$2.40 ฿80.3

13.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 ₱70.0

$1.01 ฿33.92

9.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 ₱153

$1.61 ฿53.9

50.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ₱74.8

$1.52 ฿50.7

-21.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₱41.16

$1.28 ฿42.90

-49.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 ₱142

$1.11 ฿37.22

102.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₱75.4

$0.72 ฿24.09

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₱44.47

$0.52 ฿17.54

36.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.50 ₱157

$4.33 ฿145

-42.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 ₱507

$17.73 ฿593

-54.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₱81.4

$1.63 ฿54.4

-20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ₱105

$2.85 ฿95.3

-41.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.55

$0.85 ฿28.31

-70.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.82 ₱744

$53.9 ฿1,801

-78.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.51

$1.17 ฿39.18

-32.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.41

$0.57 ฿19.00

-59.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 ₱124

$2.37 ฿79.2

-16.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₱80.1

$1.45 ฿48.32

-12.41%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

5.86%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-28.83%

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

$107 ₱6,731

$62.3 ฿2,083

71.51%

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

$19.47 ₱1,226

$12.27 ฿410

58.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.37 ₱1,975

$19.97 ฿668

57.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.13 ₱1,897

$37.91 ฿1,267

-20.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.97 ₱250

$3.76 ฿126

5.59%

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 ₱297

$6.71 ฿224

-29.66%

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

$109 ₱6,869

$797 ฿26.6K

-86.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,414 ₱466.8K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-50.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.76 ₱2,062

$53.3 ฿1,780

-38.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.17 ₱1,207

$25.05 ฿837

-23.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 ₱4,530

$91.6 ฿3,062

-21.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.0 ₱3,840

$73.5 ฿2,455

-16.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$293 ₱18.4K

$464 ฿15.5K

-36.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ₱11.1K

$305 ฿10.2K

-42.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$468 ₱29.5K

$915 ฿30.6K

-48.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ₱23.3K

$552 ฿18.5K

-33.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,456 ₱154.7K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

28.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-25.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

5.57

49.19%

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

Last update for Valencia City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Valencia City

$193 26.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 23.4% $45

Accommodation & Living

Valencia City

$176 24%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 72.8% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valencia City

$158 21.5%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 40% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Valencia City

$83 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 31.7% $26

Eating Out

Valencia City

$69 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 14% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Valencia City

$40 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 29.7% $12

Getting Around

Valencia City

$15 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 316% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $293 in Valencia City versus $464 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 $17.00 in Valencia City versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $238 – making Valencia City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Valencia City

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:53 2:53 AM

01:53 1:53 AM

1 h behind Valencia City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

216,546

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Valencia City
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

Valencia City vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Valencia City, 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 $1,101 per month in Valencia City and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valencia City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $109 per month in Valencia City and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Valencia City, where all-in costs run around $734, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Valencia City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Valencia City costs $734 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Valencia City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.