Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Atotonilco el Alto

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Atotonilco el Alto
Learn more

Atotonilco el Alto Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Atotonilco el Alto

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Atotonilco el Alto

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 Atotonilco el Alto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Chiang Mai $936
Atotonilco el Alto $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,963 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Atotonilco el Alto $1,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $2,703 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Atotonilco el Alto $2,703

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 24% less than in Atotonilco el Alto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Atotonilco el Alto 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$10.57 MX$198

-78.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$63.3 MX$1,187

-70.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.16 MX$172

-39.41%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.68 MX$69.0

-54.62%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.53 MX$28.73

-58.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$1.03 MX$19.25

-69.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.15 MX$59.1

-25.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.49 MX$103

-33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.92 MX$36.06

1.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$2.64 MX$49.47

-45.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.97 MX$36.85

-32.49%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.70 MX$50.5

-15.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.59 MX$161

91.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$8.92 MX$167

-68.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.63 MX$255

-31.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.46 MX$64.8

-32.08%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.63 MX$30.56

-40.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.19 MX$40.99

-26.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.92 MX$35.98

-21.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.79 MX$33.56

-28.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.80 MX$33.77

-38.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.45 MX$27.13

-51.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.20 MX$22.56

-59.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.46 MX$83.6

-7.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$17.38 MX$326

0.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.09 MX$39.17

-22.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.97 MX$74.4

-29.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.63 MX$11.77

38.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$32.79 MX$614

64.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$3.18 MX$59.6

-63.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$2.64 MX$49.39

-79.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$10.88 MX$204

-77.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.49 MX$28.01

-2.68%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$24.6K MX$460.6K

-14.32%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$23.2K MX$434.4K

16.23%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$56.9 MX$1,065

9.36%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$26.54 MX$497

-54.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$24.36 MX$456

-17.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$30.94 MX$580

20.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$21.94 MX$411

-82.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.30 MX$137

-11.10%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$257 MX$4,822

186.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$5,041 MX$94.5K

192.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$52.7 MX$988

1.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$44.51 MX$834

-44.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$100 MX$1,876

-8.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$95.6 MX$1,791

-24.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$519 MX$9,725

-7.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$390 MX$7,317

-20.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,156 MX$21.7K

-12.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$667 MX$12.5K

-5.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,623 MX$30.4K

45.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,218 MX$22.8K

30.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.99

-53.54%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Atotonilco el Alto: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Atotonilco el Alto

$390 31.9% 26.4% $82

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Atotonilco el Alto

$303 24.8% 29.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Atotonilco el Alto

$132 10.8% 21.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Atotonilco el Alto

$108 8.8% 14.1% $13

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Atotonilco el Alto

$193 15.8% 149% $116

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Atotonilco el Alto

$52 4.2% 15.8% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Atotonilco el Alto

$46 3.7% 9.4% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $519 in Atotonilco el Alto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $63 in Atotonilco el Alto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $303 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Atotonilco el Alto

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

15:18 3:18 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

26,874

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Atotonilco el Alto 15,050 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Atotonilco el Alto

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 Atotonilco el Alto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,836 in Atotonilco el Alto to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $519 in Atotonilco el Alto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $257 in Atotonilco el Alto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Atotonilco el Alto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Atotonilco el Alto are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.