Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Celaya and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Celaya: $903 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

43

Cost of Living Index in Celaya
Learn more

Celaya Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Celaya

🇲🇽 Mexico

$903

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $903 in Celaya versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Celaya $903
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Celaya versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Celaya $1,423
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Celaya versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Celaya $1,944
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Celaya costs roughly 3% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Celaya 34% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.40 MX$233

$2.24 ฿75.6

453.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.66 MX$820

$19.00 ฿641

129.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.98 MX$131

$5.55 ฿187

25.77%

Cappuccino

$3.18 MX$59.7

$1.67 ฿56.5

90.42%

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

$1.17 MX$21.99

$0.64 ฿21.54

82.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.50

$0.31 ฿10.31

251.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 MX$39.66

$2.36 ฿79.5

-10.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 MX$58.9

$3.66 ฿124

-14.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.57

$1.95 ฿65.7

-27.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 MX$40.07

$1.44 ฿48.46

47.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.14

$1.33 ฿45.03

12.78%

Eggs

$2.16 MX$40.62

$2.28 ฿77.1

-5.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 MX$149

$16.45 ฿555

-51.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 MX$153

$2.78 ฿93.9

192.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.44 MX$215

$9.31 ฿314

22.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.77

$2.35 ฿79.4

-7.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 MX$20.03

$0.97 ฿32.79

10.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 MX$27.31

$1.60 ฿53.9

-9.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 MX$20.06

$1.50 ฿50.6

-28.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.55

$1.28 ฿43.11

22.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.66

$1.10 ฿37.18

24.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 MX$19.01

$0.71 ฿23.82

42.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 MX$14.55

$0.49 ฿16.36

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$80.0

$4.14 ฿140

2.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.56 MX$161

$17.52 ฿591

-51.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$33.31

$1.61 ฿54.5

9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MX$63.0

$2.78 ฿93.9

20.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.60

$0.87 ฿29.30

-28.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.20 MX$511

$54.1 ฿1,825

-49.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MX$23.03

$1.16 ฿39.04

6.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 MX$20.17

$0.53 ฿17.80

101.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.98 MX$206

$2.42 ฿81.7

353.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.26

$1.45 ฿48.88

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

$23.9K MX$449.3K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

13.63%

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

$23.6K MX$442.1K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-12.59%

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

$35.91 MX$674

$62.2 ฿2,098

-42.24%

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

$18.80 MX$353

$12.17 ฿411

54.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.77 MX$352

$20.12 ฿679

-6.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.68 MX$595

$37.31 ฿1,259

-15.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.10 MX$509

$3.77 ฿127

618.83%

Cinema Ticket

$4.88 MX$91.6

$6.49 ฿219

-24.81%

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

$213 MX$3,995

$736 ฿24.8K

-71.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,823 MX$53.0K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-80.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MX$1,000

$53.4 ฿1,801

-0.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.46 MX$722

$24.64 ฿831

56.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,894

$91.5 ฿3,087

10.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.5 MX$1,324

$71.9 ฿2,427

-1.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 MX$4,630

$482 ฿16.3K

-48.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 MX$4,105

$309 ฿10.4K

-29.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 MX$7,057

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-62.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 MX$5,221

$633 ฿21.4K

-56.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$806 MX$15.1K

$590 ฿19.9K

36.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.2

5.57

101.08%

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

Last update for Celaya: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Celaya

$231 25.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 1.5% $3.5

Accommodation & Living

Celaya

$219 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 41.3% $90

Eating Out

Celaya

$184 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 57.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Celaya

$118 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 8.3% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Celaya

$73 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 28.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Celaya

$41 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 21.4% $8.9

Getting Around

Celaya

$36 4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 69.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $247 in Celaya and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Celaya pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44 in Celaya vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $231 vs $234, with Celaya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Celaya

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

09:35 9:35 AM

13 h ahead of Celaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

378,143

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Celaya Chiang Mai 15,140 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Celaya
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $903 in Celaya and $936 in Chiang Mai, so Celaya is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Celaya, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $247 in Celaya versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Celaya runs roughly 50% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $903 per month in Celaya versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Celaya is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Celaya gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.