Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acuna and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,128 in Acuna, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Acuna
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Acuna Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Acuna

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,128

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,128 per month in Acuna vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Acuna $1,128
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,861 per month in Acuna vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Acuna $1,861
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,594 per month in Acuna vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Acuna $2,594
Chiang Mai $1,914

Acuna costs about 20% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Acuna and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Acuna 16% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 MX$226

$2.26 ฿75.4

440.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.26 MX$744

$19.18 ฿641

109.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 MX$151

$5.59 ฿187

46.33%

Cappuccino

$3.04 MX$56.1

$1.72 ฿57.6

76.74%

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

$1.26 MX$23.26

$0.64 ฿21.54

96.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.43

$0.33 ฿11.18

251.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 MX$41.51

$2.36 ฿78.7

-4.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 MX$64.9

$3.90 ฿130

-10.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.55

$2.05 ฿68.6

-11.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$47.59

$1.40 ฿46.70

84.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.92

$1.28 ฿42.89

35.16%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.18

$2.25 ฿75.3

11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 MX$146

$16.94 ฿566

-53.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.74 ฿91.6

190.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.30 MX$227

$9.36 ฿313

31.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$57.0

$2.40 ฿80.3

28.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.10

$1.01 ฿33.92

50.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.95

$1.61 ฿53.9

21.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.16

$1.52 ฿50.7

14.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.12

$1.28 ฿42.90

52.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.34

$1.11 ฿37.22

67.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 MX$25.17

$0.72 ฿24.09

88.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.50

$0.52 ฿17.54

134.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.08 MX$75.3

$4.33 ฿145

-5.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.98 MX$203

$17.73 ฿593

-38.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.24

$1.63 ฿54.4

-3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$2.85 ฿95.3

16.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 MX$10.92

$0.85 ฿28.31

-30.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 MX$45.72

$1.17 ฿39.18

111.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 MX$39.55

$0.57 ฿19.00

275.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.51 MX$231

$2.37 ฿79.2

427.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$24.23

$1.45 ฿48.32

-9.66%

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

$22.6K MX$417.6K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

10.37%

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

$26.6K MX$491.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

0.35%

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

$55.5 MX$1,025

$62.3 ฿2,083

-11.02%

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

$21.62 MX$399

$12.27 ฿410

76.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.24 MX$540

$19.97 ฿668

46.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.72 MX$697

$37.91 ฿1,267

-0.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.85 MX$367

$3.76 ฿126

427.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 MX$97.9

$6.71 ฿224

-21.01%

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

$242 MX$4,477

$797 ฿26.6K

-69.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,625 MX$85.5K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-68.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 MX$1,017

$53.3 ฿1,780

3.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.44 MX$803

$25.05 ฿837

73.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,043

$91.6 ฿3,062

20.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.6 MX$1,729

$73.5 ฿2,455

27.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 MX$10.0K

$464 ฿15.5K

17.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 MX$6,785

$305 ฿10.2K

20.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$17.8K

$915 ฿30.6K

5.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$817 MX$15.1K

$552 ฿18.5K

47.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,129 MX$39.4K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

11.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,319 MX$24.4K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-8.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.57

102.87%

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

Last update for Acuna: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Acuna

$367 32.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 17% $62

Groceries & Markets

Acuna

$268 23.8%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 11.3% $30

Eating Out

Acuna

$187 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 57.7% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Acuna

$136 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 19.6% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acuna

$106 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 11% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Acuna

$48 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 6.3% $3

Getting Around

Acuna

$16 * 1.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 295% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $543 in Acuna 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Acuna versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Acuna

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

12:01 12:01 PM

12 h ahead of Acuna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,225

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 19, 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 19, 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

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Between locations

Acuna Chiang Mai 14,250 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Acuna
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

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

Yes – Acuna is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,693 per month in Acuna 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Acuna and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Acuna, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Acuna at $1,128. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Acuna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Acuna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.