Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Acapulco

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $848 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
Learn more

Acapulco Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Acapulco

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Acapulco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $848 in Acapulco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Acapulco $848

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,418 in Acapulco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Acapulco $1,418

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,989 in Acapulco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Acapulco $1,989

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Acapulco are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Acapulco 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$9.20 MX$171

-76.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$37.33 MX$695

-50.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$11.65 MX$217

-51.93%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.74 MX$69.6

-55.61%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$1.53 MX$28.53

-57.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$1.65 MX$30.65

-81.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.91 MX$54.2

-20.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$4.94 MX$92.0

-25.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.56 MX$29.07

29.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$2.86 MX$53.3

-50.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$1.64 MX$30.50

-15.24%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.83 MX$34.03

29.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$6.60 MX$123

150.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$8.26 MX$154

-67.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$10.93 MX$203

-17.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$4.55 MX$84.7

-47.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.64 MX$30.58

-36.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$3.18 MX$59.2

-47.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$3.04 MX$56.5

-48.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$3.34 MX$62.2

-62.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$2.93 MX$54.4

-62.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$1.23 MX$22.94

-38.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.82 MX$15.33

-37.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$8.31 MX$155

-50.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$6.39 MX$119

180.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.10 MX$20.44

47.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.77 MX$51.5

1.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.85 MX$15.83

9.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$4.96 MX$92.4

-76.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.45 MX$27.03

1.38%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$21.2K MX$394.6K

-0.90%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$23.9K MX$445.2K

10.83%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$39.02 MX$726

60.33%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$14.93 MX$278

-22.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$21.05 MX$392

-3.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$18.69 MX$348

102.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$13.62 MX$254

-72.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$3.82 MX$71.0

70.42%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$163 MX$3,042

344.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$65.6 MX$1,222

-18.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$43.81 MX$815

-43.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$107 MX$1,994

-15.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$81.2 MX$1,510

-11.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$512 MX$9,526

-6.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$146 MX$2,724

111.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$944 MX$17.6K

12.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$325 MX$6,040

102.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$447 MX$8,325

32.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.6

-51.98%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Acapulco: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Acapulco

$146 17.3% 52.8% $164

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Acapulco

$267 31.5% 12.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Acapulco

$134 15.8% 23.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Acapulco

$75 8.9% 20.6% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Acapulco

$191 22.5% 149% $114

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1% 85.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Acapulco

$26 3.1% 48.3% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $512 in Acapulco. 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 33% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Acapulco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $267 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

15:42 3:42 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

658,609

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Acapulco 15,540 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Acapulco

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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,272 in Acapulco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Chiang Mai and $512 in Acapulco. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $848 in Acapulco. That makes Acapulco about 9% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $163 in Acapulco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $848 in Acapulco. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $848 in Acapulco to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Acapulco. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.