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

😐 Solo nomad: Chapala is 4.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 17.1% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chapala is 8.3% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 11.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chapala
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.16 MX$144
$2.03 ฿64.2
301.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.44 MX$608
$18.59 ฿588
85.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.72 MX$119
$7.48 ฿237
-10.16%
Cappuccino
$3.26 MX$57.5
$2.00 ฿63.2
63.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 MX$35.21
$0.85 ฿26.81
134.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 MX$17.30
$0.35 ฿11.13
180.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.05 MX$36.22
$2.21 ฿70.0
-7.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.14 MX$55.4
$3.76 ฿119
-16.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chapala
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 MX$28.71
$1.72 ฿54.4
-5.23%
White Bread (500g)
$2.70 MX$47.62
$1.63 ฿51.7
65.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.16
$1.16 ฿36.66
32.76%
Eggs
$2.24 MX$39.50
$1.98 ฿62.6
13.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.28 MX$146
$15.93 ฿504
-48.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.42 MX$131
$3.17 ฿100
134.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.75 MX$137
$10.90 ฿345
-28.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 MX$37.86
$2.65 ฿83.7
-18.87%
Banana (1kg)
$0.95 MX$16.75
$1.22 ฿38.70
-22.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.86 MX$15.12
$1.70 ฿53.7
-49.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.45 MX$25.63
$1.59 ฿50.3
-8.81%
Potato (1kg)
$1.38 MX$24.30
$1.32 ฿41.90
4.55%
Onion (1kg)
$0.97 MX$17.15
$1.17 ฿36.99
-17.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.95 MX$16.82
$0.68 ฿21.46
39.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$14.80
$0.56 ฿17.64
50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.09 MX$72.2
$4.51 ฿143
-9.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.35 MX$165
$19.07 ฿604
-50.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$24.13
$1.77 ฿56.0
-22.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 MX$29.76
$3.18 ฿101
-46.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Chapala
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.60 MX$10.59
$0.96 ฿30.47
-37.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$18.90 ฿598
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.07 MX$18.89
$1.36 ฿42.98
-21.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 MX$26.17
$1.35 ฿42.80
9.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.13 MX$55.3
$8.03 ฿254
-61.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 MX$23.24
$1.24 ฿39.34
6.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.5K MX$326.4K
$21.2K ฿669.8K
-12.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.7K MX$330.7K
$21.8K ฿688.5K
-13.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chapala
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$48.81 MX$861
$71.2 ฿2,255
-31.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.01 MX$300
$14.09 ฿446
20.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.25 MX$446
$17.47 ฿553
44.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chapala
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.39 MX$448
$42.07 ฿1,332
-39.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.98 MX$282
$6.88 ฿218
132.27%
Cinema Ticket
$4.32 MX$76.3
$5.94 ฿188
-27.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chapala
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$178 MX$3,141
$307 ฿9,728
-42.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,623 MX$46.3K
$14.8K ฿468.2K
-82.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chapala
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.81 MX$756
$55.7 ฿1,762
-23.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$15.61 MX$276
$26.79 ฿848
-41.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$65.9 MX$1,164
$83.2 ฿2,634
-20.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.2 MX$975
$70.1 ฿2,219
-21.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chapala
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$457 MX$8,066
$427 ฿13.5K
6.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$418 MX$7,375
$237 ฿7,504
76.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$809 MX$14.3K
$802 ฿25.4K
0.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$630 MX$11.1K
$503 ฿15.9K
25.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$736 MX$13.0K
$2,061 ฿65.2K
-64.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$733 MX$12.9K
$1,533 ฿48.5K
-52.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chapala
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$654 ฿20.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.24
5
124.80%

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

Last update for Chapala: March 3, 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

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