Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Boca del Rio

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,167 in Boca del Rio, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Boca del Rio
Learn more

Boca del Rio Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Boca del Rio

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Boca del Rio

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 Boca del Rio actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,167 in Boca del Rio, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Boca del Rio $1,167

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,904 in Boca del Rio, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Boca del Rio $1,904

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,641 in Boca del Rio, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Boca del Rio $2,641

Chiang Mai is about 20% cheaper than Boca del Rio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Boca del Rio are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Boca del Rio 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$10.98 MX$204

-79.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$43.22 MX$803

-56.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.56 MX$159

-35.16%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.59 MX$66.7

-53.48%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.33 MX$24.62

-51.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.04 MX$19.40

-70.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.35 MX$43.73

0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.93 MX$73.1

-6.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.47 MX$27.36

32.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$2.66 MX$49.48

-45.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.75 MX$32.45

-24.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.51 MX$46.52

-9.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$8.15 MX$151

101.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$8.11 MX$151

-65.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.70 MX$217

-20.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.45 MX$45.41

-4.08%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.69 MX$31.35

-42.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.66 MX$30.88

-3.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.78 MX$33.13

-15.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$2.24 MX$41.67

-42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.75 MX$32.48

-37.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.34 MX$24.84

-47.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.96 MX$17.91

-48.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.82 MX$71.0

8.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$9.62 MX$179

82.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.92 MX$35.58

-16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.28 MX$60.9

-15.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.68 MX$12.57

27.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$33.89 MX$629

59.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.80 MX$52.1

-58.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.10 MX$39.00

-74.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$9.32 MX$173

-74.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.40 MX$25.96

3.57%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$22.7K MX$421.7K

-7.25%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$22.6K MX$419.0K

19.41%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$55.1 MX$1,023

12.89%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$24.45 MX$454

-50.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$25.52 MX$474

-21.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$33.45 MX$621

11.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$19.12 MX$355

-80.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.88 MX$109

10.37%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$201 MX$3,731

266.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$4,612 MX$85.7K

220.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$59.4 MX$1,103

-10.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$36.15 MX$671

-31.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$105 MX$1,946

-12.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$95.8 MX$1,779

-24.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$622 MX$11.5K

-22.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$389 MX$7,222

-20.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,056 MX$19.6K

-4.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$819 MX$15.2K

-22.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,000 MX$37.1K

18.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,169 MX$21.7K

35.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Boca del Rio: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Boca del Rio

$389 33.3% 25.9% $80

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Boca del Rio

$259 22.2% 10.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Boca del Rio

$133 11.4% 22.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Boca del Rio

$105 9% 11.2% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Boca del Rio

$186 15.9% 139% $108

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Boca del Rio

$50 4.3% 18.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Boca del Rio

$45 3.9% 10.1% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $622 in Boca del Rio. 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 Boca del Rio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $259 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Boca del Rio

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

19:01 7:01 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Boca del Rio 15,490 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Boca del Rio

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 Boca del Rio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $1,167 in Boca del Rio – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,750 in Boca del Rio. 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 $482 there versus $622 in Boca del Rio.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,167 in Boca del Rio. That makes Chiang Mai about 20% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Boca del Rio. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,167 in Boca del Rio. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.