Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atotonilco el Alto and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Atotonilco el Alto
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Atotonilco el Alto Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Atotonilco el Alto

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,224

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Atotonilco el Alto $1,224
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,963 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Atotonilco el Alto $1,963
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,703 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Atotonilco el Alto $2,703
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Atotonilco el Alto is roughly 31% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Atotonilco el Alto 10% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.57 MX$199

$2.24 ฿75.6

371.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 MX$1,190

$19.00 ฿641

233.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 MX$172

$5.55 ฿187

65.05%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$69.2

$1.67 ฿56.5

120.36%

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

$1.53 MX$28.81

$0.64 ฿21.55

139.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.31

$0.31 ฿10.31

232.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.36 ฿79.6

33.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 MX$103

$3.66 ฿124

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$36.16

$1.95 ฿65.8

-1.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$49.62

$1.44 ฿48.48

83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.96

$1.33 ฿45.04

48.12%

Eggs

$2.70 MX$50.7

$2.28 ฿77.1

18.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 MX$161

$16.45 ฿555

-47.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 MX$168

$2.78 ฿93.9

220.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.63 MX$256

$9.31 ฿314

46.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 MX$65.0

$2.35 ฿79.4

47.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MX$30.65

$0.97 ฿32.80

68.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$41.11

$1.60 ฿53.9

36.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$1.50 ฿50.6

28.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.65

$1.28 ฿43.12

39.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.87

$1.10 ฿37.19

63.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.21

$0.71 ฿23.82

104.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.62

$0.49 ฿16.37

144.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 MX$83.9

$4.14 ฿140

7.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.38 MX$327

$17.52 ฿591

-0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 MX$39.28

$1.61 ฿54.5

29.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 MX$74.6

$2.78 ฿94.0

42.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.81

$0.87 ฿29.31

-27.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 MX$616

$54.1 ฿1,826

-39.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$1.16 ฿39.06

174.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 MX$49.54

$0.53 ฿17.80

398.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.88 MX$205

$2.42 ฿81.8

349.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$28.09

$1.45 ฿48.90

2.76%

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

$24.6K MX$461.9K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

16.71%

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

$23.2K MX$435.6K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-13.96%

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

$56.9 MX$1,068

$62.2 ฿2,098

-8.56%

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

$26.54 MX$499

$12.17 ฿411

118.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.36 MX$458

$20.12 ฿679

21.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.94 MX$582

$37.31 ฿1,259

-17.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.94 MX$412

$3.77 ฿127

481.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 MX$137

$6.49 ฿219

12.48%

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

$257 MX$4,836

$736 ฿24.8K

-65.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,041 MX$94.7K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-65.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 MX$991

$53.4 ฿1,801

-1.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.51 MX$837

$24.64 ฿831

80.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,881

$91.5 ฿3,087

9.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 MX$1,796

$71.9 ฿2,428

32.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 MX$9,753

$482 ฿16.3K

7.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 MX$7,338

$309 ฿10.4K

26.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 MX$21.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

14.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 MX$12.5K

$633 ฿21.4K

5.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,623 MX$30.5K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-31.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,218 MX$22.9K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-23.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.99

5.57

115.26%

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

Last update for Atotonilco el Alto: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Atotonilco el Alto

$390 31.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 20.9% $82

Groceries & Markets

Atotonilco el Alto

$303 24.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 22.7% $69

Eating Out

Atotonilco el Alto

$193 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 59.9% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Atotonilco el Alto

$132 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 17.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atotonilco el Alto

$108 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 12.3% $13

Getting Around

Atotonilco el Alto

$52 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 18.8% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Atotonilco el Alto

$46 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 10.4% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $519 in Atotonilco el Alto and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63 in Atotonilco el Alto vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Atotonilco el Alto

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:50 1:50 AM

14:50 2:50 PM

13 h ahead of Atotonilco el Alto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,874

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Atotonilco el Alto Chiang Mai 15,050 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Atotonilco el Alto
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

Atotonilco el Alto vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,836 in Atotonilco el Alto and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $519 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $257 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Atotonilco el Alto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Atotonilco el Alto and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.