Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acapulco and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $859 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
Learn more

Acapulco Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$859

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Acapulco vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Acapulco $859
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,435 per month in Acapulco vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Acapulco $1,435
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,012 per month in Acapulco vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Acapulco $2,012
Chiang Mai $1,914

Acapulco is about 8% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Acapulco and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Acapulco 36% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.48 MX$175

$2.26 ฿75.4

319.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.64 MX$696

$19.18 ฿641

96.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 MX$221

$5.59 ฿187

114.13%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.5

$1.72 ฿57.6

118.60%

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

$1.63 MX$30.10

$0.64 ฿21.54

154.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$30.65

$0.33 ฿11.18

403.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 MX$55.4

$2.36 ฿78.7

27.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 MX$88.4

$3.90 ฿130

22.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.36

$2.05 ฿68.6

-22.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.5

$1.40 ฿46.70

106.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.11

$1.28 ฿42.89

31.25%

Eggs

$1.79 MX$33.06

$2.25 ฿75.3

-20.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.64 MX$123

$16.94 ฿566

-60.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 MX$149

$2.74 ฿91.6

193.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 MX$199

$9.36 ฿313

15.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 MX$84.7

$2.40 ฿80.3

90.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.46

$1.01 ฿33.92

63.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$1.61 ฿53.9

109.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 MX$57.9

$1.52 ฿50.7

105.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 MX$64.2

$1.28 ฿42.90

171.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 MX$54.7

$1.11 ฿37.22

166.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 MX$24.12

$0.72 ฿24.09

81.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.46

$0.52 ฿17.54

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 MX$151

$4.33 ฿145

88.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 MX$123

$17.73 ฿593

-62.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.74

$1.63 ฿54.4

-31.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 MX$49.94

$2.85 ฿95.3

-5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 MX$16.27

$0.85 ฿28.31

3.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 MX$89.6

$1.17 ฿39.18

314.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.16

$1.45 ฿48.32

1.38%

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

$21.1K MX$389.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

3.01%

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

$24.8K MX$458.4K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-6.44%

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

$39.89 MX$737

$62.3 ฿2,083

-36.00%

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

$14.81 MX$274

$12.27 ฿410

20.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.72 MX$401

$19.97 ฿668

8.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.02 MX$351

$37.91 ฿1,267

-49.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.85 MX$256

$3.76 ฿126

268.35%

Cinema Ticket

$3.87 MX$71.6

$6.71 ฿224

-42.32%

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

$162 MX$2,994

$797 ฿26.6K

-79.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 MX$1,191

$53.3 ฿1,780

21.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.58 MX$824

$25.05 ฿837

77.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$1,985

$91.6 ฿3,062

17.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 MX$1,538

$73.5 ฿2,455

13.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 MX$9,593

$464 ฿15.5K

11.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 MX$2,763

$305 ฿10.2K

-50.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$17.7K

$915 ฿30.6K

4.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 MX$6,118

$552 ฿18.5K

-40.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$449 MX$8,293

$595 ฿19.9K

-24.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

5.57

108.26%

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

Last update for Acapulco: 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

Acapulco

$269 31.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 11.4% $31

Eating Out

Acapulco

$195 22.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 59.4% $116

Accommodation & Living

Acapulco

$150 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 104% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Acapulco

$135 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 18.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acapulco

$76 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 23.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Acapulco

$27 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 91.8% $25

Getting Around

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 633% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $519 in Acapulco 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.

Salaries run about 33% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Acapulco versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

02:35 2:35 AM

13 h ahead of Acapulco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

658,609

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Acapulco Chiang Mai 15,540 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Acapulco
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 9% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Acapulco 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 Acapulco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $859 in Acapulco and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $162 per month in Acapulco and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Acapulco, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Acapulco 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. Acapulco costs $859 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 Acapulco. 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.