Cost of living comparison

compared to
Chiang Rai vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary

Chiang Rai is 3.1% cheaper than Manila.

Restaurants
pay 28.0% less in Chiang Rai
Groceries
pay 30.9% less in Chiang Rai
Transportation
pay 2.1 times more in Chiang Rai
Housing
pay 55.3% less in Chiang Rai
Childcare
pay 26.4% less in Chiang Rai
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.8% less in Chiang Rai
Clothing
pay 21.9% more in Chiang Rai

The cost of transportation and clothing in Chiang Rai are more expensive than in Manila. Expenses including housing, groceries, restaurants, childcare, and entertainment and sports are lower in Chiang Rai. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Chiang Rai.

Chiang Rai vs. Manila Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Chiang Rai instead of Manila, you would:

pay 28.0% less for restaurants

 
Manila
Chiang Rai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.12
₱301.84
$1.60
THB55.58
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.26
₱251.53
$5.83
THB202.10
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.87
₱51.51
$0.51
THB17.68

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pay 30.9% less for groceries

 
Manila
Chiang Rai
Bread
1 loaf
$1.35
₱79.77
$1.47
THB50.86
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.30
₱312.95
$7.16
THB248.33
Milk (1 gallon) $6.79
₱400.84
$5.98
THB207.56

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pay 2.1 times more for transportation

 
Manila
Chiang Rai
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.14
₱244.37
$4.46
THB154.83
Monthly public transit pass $9.93
₱585.86
$21.85
THB757.87
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $25,575.45
₱1,509,181.64
$19,225.17
THB666,924.83

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pay 55.3% less for housing

 
Manila
Chiang Rai
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$28.80
₱1,699.75
$14.07
THB488.24
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $468.88
₱27,668.28
$213.61
THB7,410.28
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $234.44
₱13,834.16
$120.16
THB4,168.28

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pay 26.4% less for childcare

 
Manila
Chiang Rai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $482.52
₱28,473.23
$461.21
THB15,999.46
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $14,127.39
₱833,643.19
$7,282.26
THB252,623.04

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pay 13.8% less for entertainment and sports

 
Manila
Chiang Rai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.36
₱80.49
$1.89
THB65.68
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.70
₱159.15
$1.49
THB51.79
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.07
₱181.10
$3.50
THB121.26

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pay 21.9% more for clothing

 
Manila
Chiang Rai
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$33.31
₱1,965.73
$55.83
THB1,936.78
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$26.60
₱1,569.45
$30.29
THB1,050.91
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$74.03
₱4,368.16
$74.76
THB2,593.60

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: January 2025
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