Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Cancun is 48.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 56.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cancun is 58.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 67.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cancun
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.40 MX$236
$2.03 ฿64.2
560.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.8 MX$932
$18.59 ฿588
184.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.89 MX$175
$7.48 ฿237
32.22%
Cappuccino
$3.56 MX$62.9
$2.00 ฿63.2
78.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 MX$26.80
$0.85 ฿26.81
78.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$15.71
$0.35 ฿11.13
154.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.98 MX$52.7
$2.21 ฿70.0
34.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 MX$79.9
$3.76 ฿119
20.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cancun
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.59
$1.72 ฿54.4
-15.70%
White Bread (500g)
$2.62 MX$46.33
$1.63 ฿51.7
60.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 MX$32.88
$1.16 ฿36.66
60.34%
Eggs
$2.57 MX$45.31
$1.98 ฿62.6
29.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.40 MX$201
$15.93 ฿504
-28.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.59 MX$152
$3.17 ฿100
170.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.00 MX$194
$10.90 ฿345
0.92%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 MX$58.2
$2.65 ฿83.7
24.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 MX$27.41
$1.22 ฿38.70
27.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.16 MX$55.8
$1.70 ฿53.7
85.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.10 MX$37.14
$1.59 ฿50.3
32.08%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$36.40
$1.32 ฿41.90
56.06%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 MX$39.35
$1.17 ฿36.99
90.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 MX$18.33
$0.68 ฿21.46
52.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$22.60
$0.56 ฿17.64
128.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.10 MX$72.4
$4.51 ฿143
-9.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.54 MX$186
$19.07 ฿604
-44.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$29.54
$1.77 ฿56.0
-5.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 MX$44.31
$3.18 ฿101
-21.07%
🚌 Getting Around
Cancun
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.64 MX$11.34
$0.96 ฿30.47
-33.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.9 MX$1,075
$18.90 ฿598
222.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.18 MX$73.8
$1.36 ฿42.98
207.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.57 MX$45.33
$1.35 ฿42.80
90.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.92 MX$175
$8.03 ฿254
23.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 MX$22.61
$1.24 ฿39.34
3.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.4K MX$535.9K
$21.2K ฿669.8K
43.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6K MX$416.5K
$21.8K ฿688.5K
8.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cancun
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$112 MX$1,983
$71.2 ฿2,255
57.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.32 MX$412
$14.09 ฿446
65.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.57 MX$645
$17.47 ฿553
109.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cancun
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.62 MX$435
$42.07 ฿1,332
-41.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.64 MX$435
$6.88 ฿218
258.14%
Cinema Ticket
$5.91 MX$104
$5.94 ฿188
-0.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cancun
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$202 MX$3,574
$307 ฿9,728
-34.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,241 MX$92.5K
$14.8K ฿468.2K
-64.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cancun
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.6 MX$945
$55.7 ฿1,762
-3.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.26 MX$711
$26.79 ฿848
50.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.5 MX$1,473
$83.2 ฿2,634
0.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 MX$1,895
$70.1 ฿2,219
53.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cancun
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$628 MX$11.1K
$427 ฿13.5K
47.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$444 MX$7,839
$237 ฿7,504
87.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,269 MX$22.4K
$802 ฿25.4K
58.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,009 MX$17.8K
$503 ฿15.9K
100.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,252 MX$39.7K
$2,061 ฿65.2K
9.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,293 MX$40.5K
$1,533 ฿48.5K
49.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cancun
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$863 MX$15.2K
$654 ฿20.7K
32.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
5
128.40%

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

Last update for Cancun: March 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities