Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boca del Rio and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,167 in Boca del Rio, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Boca del Rio, Mexico
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Boca del Rio
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,167
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,167 per month in Boca del Rio vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Boca del Rio $1,167
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,904 per month in Boca del Rio vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Boca del Rio $1,904
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,641 per month in Boca del Rio vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Boca del Rio $2,641
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Boca del Rio costs about 25% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Boca del Rio and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Boca del Rio 14% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Boca del Rio
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.98 MX$206
$2.24 ฿75.6
390.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.22 MX$810
$19.00 ฿641
127.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.56 MX$160
$5.55 ฿187
54.23%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$67.3
$1.67 ฿56.5
114.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 MX$24.85
$0.64 ฿21.53
107.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 MX$19.58
$0.31 ฿10.30
235.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.35 MX$44.12
$2.36 ฿79.5
-0.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.93 MX$73.7
$3.66 ฿124
7.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Boca del Rio
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.61
$1.95 ฿65.7
-24.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.66 MX$49.93
$1.44 ฿48.45
84.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.75 MX$32.74
$1.33 ฿45.01
31.58%
Eggs
$2.51 MX$46.94
$2.28 ฿77.0
10.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.15 MX$153
$16.45 ฿555
-50.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.11 MX$152
$2.78 ฿93.8
191.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.70 MX$219
$9.31 ฿314
25.67%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 MX$45.83
$2.35 ฿79.4
4.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 MX$31.64
$0.97 ฿32.78
74.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 MX$31.16
$1.60 ฿53.9
3.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.78 MX$33.43
$1.50 ฿50.6
18.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.24 MX$42.05
$1.28 ฿43.10
75.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.75 MX$32.78
$1.10 ฿37.17
59.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 MX$25.06
$0.71 ฿23.81
88.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 MX$18.08
$0.49 ฿16.36
95.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.82 MX$71.7
$4.14 ฿140
-7.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.62 MX$180
$17.52 ฿591
-45.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 MX$35.90
$1.61 ฿54.5
19.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 MX$61.5
$2.78 ฿93.9
17.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Boca del Rio
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 MX$12.68
$0.87 ฿29.29
-21.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$33.89 MX$635
$54.1 ฿1,825
-37.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.80 MX$52.6
$1.16 ฿39.03
141.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.10 MX$39.35
$0.53 ฿17.79
296.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.32 MX$175
$2.42 ฿81.7
285.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 MX$26.19
$1.45 ฿48.87
-3.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.7K MX$425.5K
$21.1K ฿710.3K
7.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K MX$422.8K
$26.9K ฿908.7K
-16.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Boca del Rio
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$55.1 MX$1,032
$62.2 ฿2,097
-11.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.45 MX$458
$12.17 ฿410
100.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.52 MX$478
$20.12 ฿679
26.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Boca del Rio
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.45 MX$627
$37.31 ฿1,259
-10.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.12 MX$358
$3.77 ฿127
407.16%
Cinema Ticket
$5.88 MX$110
$6.49 ฿219
-9.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Boca del Rio
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,765
$736 ฿24.8K
-72.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,612 MX$86.4K
$14.8K ฿498.0K
-68.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Boca del Rio
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.4 MX$1,113
$53.4 ฿1,800
11.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.15 MX$677
$24.64 ฿831
46.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 MX$1,963
$91.5 ฿3,086
14.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.8 MX$1,795
$71.9 ฿2,426
33.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Boca del Rio
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$622 MX$11.7K
$482 ฿16.3K
28.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$389 MX$7,287
$309 ฿10.4K
25.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,056 MX$19.8K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
5.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$819 MX$15.3K
$633 ฿21.4K
29.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,000 MX$37.5K
$2,363 ฿79.7K
-15.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,169 MX$21.9K
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-26.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Boca del Rio
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$590 ฿19.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.31
5.57
103.05%

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

Last update for Boca del Rio: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Boca del Rio
$389
Chiang Mai
$309 20.6% $80
Groceries & Markets
Boca del Rio
$259
Chiang Mai
$234 9.5% $25
Eating Out
Boca del Rio
$186
Chiang Mai
$78 58.2% $108
Clothing & Footwear
Boca del Rio
$133
Chiang Mai
$109 18.5% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Boca del Rio
$105
Chiang Mai
$94 10.1% $11
Getting Around
Boca del Rio
$50
Chiang Mai
$61 23% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Boca del Rio
$45
Chiang Mai
$50 11.2% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $622 in Boca del Rio versus $482 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 $43 in Boca del Rio versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Boca del Rio
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
18:48 6:48 PM
07:48 7:48 AM
13 h ahead of Boca del Rio
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Boca del Rio Chiang Mai 15,490 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Boca del Rio
  • 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
Boca del Rio vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Boca del Rio and in Chiang Mai compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,167 in Boca del Rio, $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Boca del Rio compared to Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,750 per month in Boca del Rio and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Boca del Rio and Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $622 in Boca del Rio.
Which city is more expensive overall: Boca del Rio or Chiang Mai?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,167 in Boca del Rio and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 20% cheaper.
How do commuting costs compare in Boca del Rio and in Chiang Mai?
Public transport costs about 37% less in Boca del Rio. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is feasible on a $800 budget?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,167 in Boca del Rio and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Boca del Rio vs other spots: cost of living compared

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