Cost of living comparison

compared to

Cha-am vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary

Cha-am is 1.5% more expensive than Manila.

Restaurants
pay 3.7% more in Cha-am
Groceries
pay 15.3% less in Cha-am
Transportation
pay 67.2% more in Cha-am
Housing
pay 18.2% less in Cha-am
Childcare
pay 18.7% less in Cha-am
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.7% more in Cha-am
Clothing
pay 17.2% less in Cha-am

The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Cha-am are more expensive than in Manila. Expenses including childcare, housing, clothing, and groceries are lower in Cha-am.

Cha-am vs. Manila Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Cha-am instead of Manila, you would:

pay 3.7% more for restaurants

 
Manila
Cha-am
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $6.02
₱347.66
$3.10
THB95.86
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.30
₱248.33
$8.82
THB272.72
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.97
₱56.08
$0.70
THB21.66

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pay 15.3% less for groceries

 
Manila
Cha-am
Bread
1 loaf
$1.33
₱77.00
$1.59
THB49.13
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.28
₱246.89
$6.20
THB191.72
Milk (1 gallon) $7.32
₱422.67
$6.89
THB212.93

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pay 67.2% more for transportation

 
Manila
Cha-am
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.18
₱241.34
$4.97
THB153.61
Monthly public transit pass $13.76
₱794.65
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $25,288.58
₱1M
$21,703.74
THB671K

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pay 18.2% less for housing

 
Manila
Cha-am
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$27.10
₱1,564.88
$22.06
THB681.94
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $512.96
₱29,618.85
$387.57
THB11,982.61
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $251.74
₱14,535.47
$279.05
THB8,627.48

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pay 18.7% less for childcare

 
Manila
Cha-am
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $138.58
₱8,001.72
$139.52
THB4,313.74
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $17,035.39
₱984K
$10,541.82
THB326K

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pay 8.7% more for entertainment and sports

 
Manila
Cha-am
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.46
₱84.43
$2.33
THB71.90
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.59
₱149.39
$2.06
THB63.68
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.27
₱188.73
$4.65
THB143.79

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pay 17.2% less for clothing

 
Manila
Cha-am
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$49.23
₱2,842.41
$30.18
THB933.05
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$29.70
₱1,714.74
$19.84
THB613.51
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$80.85
₱4,668.52
$83.71
THB2,588.24

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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: March 2026
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