Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Acuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,203 in Acuna, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Acuna
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Acuna Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Acuna

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Acuna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,203 in Acuna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Acuna $1,203

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,872 in Acuna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Acuna $1,872

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,540 in Acuna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Acuna $2,540

Chiang Mai is about 22% cheaper than Acuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Acuna are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Acuna 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$10.82 MX$204

-80.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$42.78 MX$805

-56.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$8.73 MX$164

-35.85%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$3.49 MX$65.6

-52.44%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.40 MX$26.29

-53.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.99 MX$18.67

-69.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$2.49 MX$46.88

-6.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.92 MX$73.8

-6.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.56 MX$29.27

29.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$2.58 MX$48.47

-45.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.64 MX$30.88

-15.24%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.45 MX$46.18

-3.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$8.25 MX$155

100.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$7.96 MX$150

-66.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$11.30 MX$213

-20.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.61 MX$49.13

-8.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.56 MX$29.43

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.84 MX$34.64

-9.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.78 MX$33.57

-12.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$2.04 MX$38.40

-39.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$1.82 MX$34.32

-40.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.43 MX$26.89

-46.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$1.12 MX$21.10

-54.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$4.20 MX$79.0

-1.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$10.27 MX$193

74.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.79 MX$33.65

-9.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$3.16 MX$59.5

-10.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.62 MX$11.64

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$29.62 MX$557

78.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$2.54 MX$47.84

-53.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.93 MX$36.28

-91.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$10.78 MX$203

-83.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.32 MX$24.80

11.36%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$23.3K MX$437.6K

-9.63%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$23.7K MX$445.8K

11.94%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$57.2 MX$1,077

9.31%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$22.85 MX$430

-49.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$29.20 MX$549

-30.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$32.41 MX$610

16.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$20.22 MX$381

-81.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$4.97 MX$93.5

30.99%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$218 MX$4,101

233.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$4,512 MX$84.9K

267.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$54.3 MX$1,022

-1.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$39.96 MX$752

-37.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$97.7 MX$1,838

-7.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$89.5 MX$1,685

-19.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$596 MX$11.2K

-19.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$436 MX$8,212

-28.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$1,039 MX$19.6K

1.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$751 MX$14.1K

-12.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$1,911 MX$36.0K

26.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,107 MX$20.8K

45.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.31

-50.75%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Acuna: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Acuna

$436 36.3% 40.8% $126

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Acuna

$260 21.6% 9.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Acuna

$127 10.5% 16.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Acuna

$109 9.1% 15.7% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Acuna

$184 15.3% 141% $108

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Acuna

$44 3.7% 24.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Acuna

$42 3.5% 16.8% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $596 in Acuna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $43 in Acuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $260 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Acuna

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

01:36 1:36 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

160,225

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Acuna 14,250 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Acuna

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 Acuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Acuna is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,804 in Acuna. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $596 in Acuna.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,203 in Acuna. That makes Chiang Mai about 22% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Acuna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,203 in Acuna. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,203 in Acuna. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.