Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,398 in Cancun, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,398

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,398 per month in Cancun vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cancun $1,398
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,267 per month in Cancun vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cancun $2,267
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,136 per month in Cancun vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cancun $3,136
Chiang Mai $1,914

Cancun costs about 49% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cancun sits 4% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.84 MX$200

$2.26 ฿75.4

379.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$994

$19.18 ฿641

180.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 MX$213

$5.59 ฿187

106.62%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.4

$1.72 ฿57.6

124.42%

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

$1.34 MX$24.78

$0.64 ฿21.54

109.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.57

$0.33 ฿11.18

154.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.36 ฿78.7

29.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 MX$76.3

$3.90 ฿130

5.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.29

$2.05 ฿68.6

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$47.72

$1.40 ฿46.70

84.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.12

$1.28 ฿42.89

31.25%

Eggs

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.25 ฿75.3

24.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 MX$183

$16.94 ฿566

-41.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 MX$163

$2.74 ฿91.6

221.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 MX$263

$9.36 ฿313

51.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 MX$54.1

$2.40 ฿80.3

22.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.88

$1.01 ฿33.92

65.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 MX$55.5

$1.61 ฿53.9

86.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.55

$1.52 ฿50.7

44.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.91

$1.28 ฿42.90

51.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.26

$1.11 ฿37.22

76.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.23

$0.72 ฿24.09

59.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.51

$0.52 ฿17.54

134.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 MX$80.3

$4.33 ฿145

0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$185

$17.73 ฿593

-43.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.38

$1.63 ฿54.4

-2.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 MX$51.8

$2.85 ฿95.3

-1.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.66

$0.85 ฿28.31

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.10 MX$538

$53.9 ฿1,801

-46.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 MX$79.9

$1.17 ฿39.18

270.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 MX$52.1

$0.57 ฿19.00

394.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.71 MX$253

$2.37 ฿79.2

478.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.28

$1.45 ฿48.32

5.52%

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

$21.3K MX$394.3K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

4.21%

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

$23.8K MX$439.8K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-10.23%

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

$170 MX$3,149

$62.3 ฿2,083

173.40%

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

$23.44 MX$433

$12.27 ฿410

91.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.92 MX$719

$19.97 ฿668

94.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.26 MX$596

$37.91 ฿1,267

-14.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.21 MX$244

$3.76 ฿126

251.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 MX$135

$6.71 ฿224

8.64%

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

$204 MX$3,761

$797 ฿26.6K

-74.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,396 MX$99.7K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-63.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$999

$53.3 ฿1,780

1.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MX$1,021

$25.05 ฿837

120.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 MX$1,368

$91.6 ฿3,062

-19.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 MX$1,737

$73.5 ฿2,455

27.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$12.2K

$464 ฿15.5K

42.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 MX$8,445

$305 ฿10.2K

50.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 MX$26.0K

$915 ฿30.6K

53.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MX$19.6K

$552 ฿18.5K

91.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 MX$23.4K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-33.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,945 MX$35.9K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

35.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 MX$14.8K

$595 ฿19.9K

34.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.57

105.57%

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

Last update for Cancun: 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

Cancun

$457 32.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 33.3% $152

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 17% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$233 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 59.4% $138

Eating Out

Cancun

$200 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 60.5% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$125 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 12.3% $15

Getting Around

Cancun

$50 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 22% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$47 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 9.6% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $660 in Cancun 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.

Salaries run about 35% higher in Cancun, 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 $54.0 in Cancun versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

03:04 3:04 AM

12 h ahead of Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cancun Chiang Mai 15,530 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,398 in Cancun, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,098 per month in Cancun 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.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Cancun and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Cancun, 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 Cancun at $1,398. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cancun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cancun has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $938 in Chiang Mai to $1,398 in Cancun. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Cancun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.