Hi again,
Sort of a strange title but I don't want to start a "which is better" war regarding the Philippines or Thailand, etc.
The cost-of-living itself is only a bit higher in Chiang Mai compared to Polangui, Albay (where we lived in the Philippines) but probably less than Manila or Cebu, for instance. That said, the situation in which we're living in Chiang Mai is miles ahead of what we had in Polangui (or Legazpi or Naga). Here we have consistent power, a consistent water supply, and great Internet. I struggled to get 3 mbps speed on a DSL line in Polangui and here my phone plan is for 100 mbps (of course, that's max and it doesn't often get there but half of that is still great).
What we don't have are videoke, trash burning, roosters, barking dogs, the high level of litter, or groups of yelling/playing/screaming kids. I miss none of those things.
That's not to say it's silent here, we are "in the city" but it's more routine city noise, including some very loud motorcycles (guess it's a "thing" here).
We're spoiled for choice for places to eat and the cost of food here is about the same as we were paying in Polangui. However, we don't cook in our apartment here, so most meals are eaten out. Even Thai's here live like that because the food out is good and inexpensive, it costs more to go to the grocery store (and I tracked it carefully in my budget program).
We are also spoiled for choice when it comes to shopping. Simple things that I could not find in our area of the Philippines at all (even in the larger cities of Legazpi and Naga) are readily available here, as are a wealth of electronic related items (there are a couple of small electronics-only malls).
The bottom line for me is the quality of life difference, and for me that's definitely in Chiang Mai, however I'll hasten to add that's a very subjective and personal thing. I don't have anything against the Philippines (and I'll likely end up there again).
The overall cost of living in Chiang Mai is a bit higher, for several reasons. For one thing, there are more opportunities here to spend money on nice restaurants, activities, movies, coffee houses, shopping, etc. I'm pretty fugal by nature and I don't buy a lot but you know -- it's just there! :-)
My overall visa costs are much higher here because both my wife (Filipina) and I are foreigners here, so it's visas times two. My overall cost for both of us when prorated on a monthly basis (over a three month or longer period) is about $125/month USD). That includes the base 2-month visa, a 1-month extension (done locally), and then a round trip to Vientiane, Laos every three months to get a new tourist visa (a three night (two of them on a bus, one in a hotel), two day trip).
Our rent here is higher than in the Philippines and other than the cost of visas it's where I find the biggest cost difference. We were paying P6,000 in the Philippines (small 2 bedroom house) and here we pay the equivalent of P8,800 for a studio apartment. That said, Chiang Mai (city) is about 170,000 people so we're in the "big city" compared to Bicol (Chiang Mai province has a population of 1.5 million and Chiang Mai city is the major hub).
The other big difference, and the one I actually had the most difficult time adjusting to, is the presence of a LOT of foreigners. I was used to being one of just 3 or 4 in my immediate area in Polangui, and even in Legazpi and Naga I didn't see a lot. Here, they're everywhere and it took me awhile to not say to my wife "look, there's a foreigner!" -- lol
Yes, long-winded as usual but to wrap it up I'd say in general that the everyday cost to live in Chiang Mai is probably about 10% higher than living in the province in the Philippines and probably on par with cities like Legazpi or Naga, and maybe Iloilo or Dumaguete.
That said, for most folks the visa costs will be higher and more hassle. If you're here on a tourist visa you must make a "visa run" out of the country every three months to obtain a new tourist visa. For us that's a 12-hour overnight bus ride to the Lao border, an overnight in Vientiane, Laos, then a 12-hour overnight bus ride home. We could fly but it's still about a 4-hour trip (flying time is just 1-hour) but it necessitates an extra night in a hotel and the flight itself is more expensive.
We were living comfortably in Polangui, Albay on about $900 USD per month (that was for four of us since we had our 5 and 7 year old grand-nephew and grand-niece living with us). Here we're living on the same amount of money but enjoying a higher standard of living (and we don't have the kids) but some of what I could save here is going toward the cost of visas.
I love the weather here, it's much more comfortable for me than in Polangui. We also don't get typhoons and I'm not aware of any earthquakes (though I need to check that).
Okay...enough!
Les
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