Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vigan and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Vigan: $720 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Vigan
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Vigan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Vigan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$720

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $720 per month in Vigan vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Vigan $720
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,087 per month in Vigan vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Vigan $1,087
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,455 per month in Vigan vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Vigan $1,455
Chiang Mai $1,999

Vigan is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vigan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Vigan 47% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ₱246

$2.13 ฿71.7

82.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.73 ₱1,060

$18.62 ฿625

-10.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$1.74 ₱110

$5.60 ฿188

-68.93%

Cappuccino

$1.76 ₱112

$1.66 ฿55.9

6.02%

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

$0.58 ₱37.01

$0.65 ฿21.73

-10.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.39

$0.30 ฿10.24

3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 ₱63.6

$2.32 ฿78.0

-56.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱100

$3.67 ฿123

-56.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₱99.7

$2.02 ฿67.7

-22.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱72.1

$1.41 ฿47.29

-19.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.5

$1.39 ฿46.75

-28.06%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱126

$2.37 ฿79.5

-16.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.84 ₱307

$16.52 ฿555

-70.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱209

$2.67 ฿89.7

23.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 ₱477

$9.02 ฿303

-16.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ₱142

$2.40 ฿80.6

-6.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱100

$1.04 ฿34.98

51.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 ₱149

$1.66 ฿55.7

41.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.01 ₱64.1

$1.56 ฿52.4

-35.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 ₱107

$1.24 ฿41.57

37.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 ₱108

$1.09 ฿36.50

55.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 ₱54.9

$0.76 ฿25.59

14.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.86

$0.51 ฿17.27

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱186

$4.12 ฿138

-28.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₱538

$17.93 ฿602

-52.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ₱59.4

$1.62 ฿54.5

-41.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ₱130

$2.82 ฿94.8

-27.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.28

$0.93 ฿31.39

-74.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.42 ₱787

$52.9 ฿1,777

-76.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱50.4

$1.18 ฿39.52

-32.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.69

$0.17 ฿5.76

17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₱116

$1.81 ฿60.9

1.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.7

$1.47 ฿49.47

-15.65%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$21.0K ฿705.8K

-1.71%

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

$18.6K ₱1.2M

$26.5K ฿890.7K

-29.94%

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

$137 ₱8,667

$62.6 ฿2,101

118.65%

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

$17.37 ₱1,100

$11.60 ฿390

49.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.09 ₱1,463

$20.30 ฿682

13.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.16 ₱1,974

$37.88 ฿1,272

-17.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.31 ₱336

$3.70 ฿124

43.51%

Cinema Ticket

$5.20 ₱329

$6.51 ฿219

-20.12%

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

$132 ₱8,342

$727 ฿24.4K

-81.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₱667.7K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

-36.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.61 ₱1,813

$53.5 ฿1,798

-46.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.14 ₱1,213

$24.80 ฿833

-22.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.6 ₱4,475

$90.4 ฿3,036

-21.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.1 ₱3,426

$72.0 ฿2,418

-24.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ₱15.9K

$481 ฿16.2K

-47.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 ₱10.6K

$310 ฿10.4K

-45.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 ₱31.0K

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-53.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$345 ₱21.8K

$659 ฿22.1K

-47.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,582 ₱163.6K

$2,418 ฿81.2K

6.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,091 ₱69.2K

$1,609 ฿54.0K

-32.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 Vigan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vigan

$177 24.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 46.7% $83

Groceries & Markets

Vigan

$172 23.9%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 37.8% $65

Accommodation & Living

Vigan

$167 23.3%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 85% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Vigan

$78 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 39.6% $31

Eating Out

Vigan

$69 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 10.7% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Vigan

$42 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 22.5% $9.3

Getting Around

Vigan

$15 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 286% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $251 in Vigan 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17 in Vigan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $237 – making Vigan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Vigan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

12:39 12:39 PM

1 h behind Vigan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,879

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 63.36 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.33 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vigan Chiang Mai 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Vigan
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Vigan, 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 $1,080 per month in Vigan 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 Vigan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $251 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $132 per month in Vigan 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 38% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $720 in Vigan and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Vigan – 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, Vigan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 23% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.