Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,611 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,611

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,611 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,611
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,409 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,409
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,207 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,207
Chiang Mai $1,903

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur costs about 74% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur sits 19% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.35 MX$191

$2.29 ฿76.5

351.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.09 MX$889

$19.64 ฿656

144.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 MX$182

$5.61 ฿188

76.11%

Cappuccino

$3.37 MX$62.2

$1.66 ฿55.6

103.01%

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

$1.44 MX$26.54

$0.70 ฿23.40

105.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.86

$0.31 ฿10.24

193.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MX$44.20

$2.41 ฿80.4

-0.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$81.5

$3.71 ฿124

18.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MX$32.84

$1.95 ฿65.3

-8.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 MX$55.9

$1.41 ฿47.03

114.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 MX$43.92

$1.31 ฿43.62

81.68%

Eggs

$2.35 MX$43.47

$2.18 ฿72.9

7.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 MX$212

$16.65 ฿556

-31.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 MX$178

$2.76 ฿92.2

249.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 MX$248

$9.11 ฿304

47.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 MX$47.82

$2.39 ฿80.0

8.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$28.94

$1.03 ฿34.26

52.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.98

$1.63 ฿54.4

-0.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.57

$1.50 ฿50.0

14.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MX$22.29

$1.29 ฿43.13

-6.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.99

$1.11 ฿37.03

65.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 MX$51.3

$0.72 ฿24.08

284.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.31

$0.53 ฿17.59

128.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.81 MX$88.9

$4.31 ฿144

11.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 MX$201

$17.95 ฿600

-39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.53

$1.58 ฿52.9

-2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 MX$64.3

$2.84 ฿95.0

22.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 MX$16.59

$0.86 ฿28.86

4.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.4 MX$968

$53.3 ฿1,780

-1.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 MX$80.8

$1.21 ฿40.29

261.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.97 MX$54.9

$0.57 ฿18.99

421.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.43 MX$193

$2.35 ฿78.6

343.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.14

$1.44 ฿47.96

-2.08%

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

$21.3K MX$394.1K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

2.87%

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

$23.9K MX$441.5K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-10.85%

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

$84.4 MX$1,560

$62.3 ฿2,083

35.44%

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

$24.86 MX$459

$12.11 ฿405

105.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 MX$581

$19.94 ฿666

57.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.08 MX$833

$37.07 ฿1,239

21.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.06 MX$556

$3.78 ฿126

695.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 MX$76.3

$6.50 ฿217

-36.46%

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

$226 MX$4,180

$793 ฿26.5K

-71.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,280 MX$153.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-44.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 MX$1,317

$53.7 ฿1,796

32.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 MX$970

$24.62 ฿823

113.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 MX$1,759

$90.9 ฿3,036

4.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.0 MX$1,257

$71.1 ฿2,378

-4.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 MX$22.0K

$455 ฿15.2K

161.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 MX$13.5K

$298 ฿9,954

146.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 MX$46.4K

$908 ฿30.4K

176.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.8K

$554 ฿18.5K

112.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,827 MX$70.7K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

98.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,210 MX$40.8K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

53.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MX$13.9K

$591 ฿19.7K

26.98%

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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$733 45.5%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 59.4% $435

Groceries & Markets

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$297 18.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 20.6% $61

Eating Out

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$183 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 57.1% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$141 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 32.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$129 8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 16.3% $21

Getting Around

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$75 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 19.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$53 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.1% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,190 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $455 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 27% higher in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, 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 $48.00 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

10:18 10:18 AM

14 h ahead of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,694

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 21, 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 21, 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

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Chiang Mai 14,420 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,416 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $1,388 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.

Public transport costs about 2% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $226 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $793 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 Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur at $1,611. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 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, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.