Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cancun

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,428 in Cancun, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
Learn more

Cancun Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,428 in Cancun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Cancun $1,428

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,290 in Cancun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Cancun $2,290

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,152 in Cancun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Cancun $3,152

Chiang Mai is about 37% cheaper than Cancun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Cancun is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$11.15 MX$205

-80.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$54.6 MX$1,003

-64.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$11.30 MX$208

-51.59%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$3.86 MX$71.0

-56.48%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$1.38 MX$25.26

-52.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$0.80 MX$14.76

-57.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$3.08 MX$56.5

-21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$4.35 MX$79.9

-14.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$1.63 MX$29.94

26.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$2.71 MX$49.81

-46.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$1.65 MX$30.27

-18.18%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$2.72 MX$50.0

-16.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$9.93 MX$182

64.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$8.80 MX$162

-69.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$13.88 MX$255

-33.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$2.83 MX$52.0

-15.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$1.67 MX$30.66

-37.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$3.20 MX$58.7

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$2.16 MX$39.74

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$2.03 MX$37.27

-35.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$1.90 MX$34.95

-41.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$1.15 MX$21.12

-39.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$1.22 MX$22.47

-58.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$4.51 MX$82.8

-8.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$10.03 MX$184

77.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$1.56 MX$28.61

4.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$2.73 MX$50.1

5.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$0.64 MX$11.82

34.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$28.64 MX$526

85.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$4.50 MX$82.5

-72.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$2.98 MX$54.7

-81.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

$13.62 MX$250

-83.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.52 MX$27.84

-1.32%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$21.0K MX$385.8K

-0.74%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$24.5K MX$449.7K

9.15%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$172 MX$3,166

-64.48%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$23.50 MX$431

-46.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$37.97 MX$697

-46.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$33.57 MX$616

13.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$13.50 MX$248

-72.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$7.33 MX$135

-9.96%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$205 MX$3,760

277.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$5,468 MX$100.4K

163.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$54.9 MX$1,008

-0.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$54.7 MX$1,005

-53.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$76.9 MX$1,412

17.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$94.4 MX$1,732

-22.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$672 MX$12.3K

-31.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$464 MX$8,518

-36.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$1,375 MX$25.2K

-33.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,075 MX$19.7K

-48.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$1,281 MX$23.5K

49.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$1,985 MX$36.4K

-27.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$819 MX$15.0K

-27.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.45

-51.35%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cancun: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Cancun

$464 32.9% 57.9% $170

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Cancun

$287 20.3% 21.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Cancun

$126 9% 15.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Cancun

$234 16.6% 149% $140

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Cancun

$202 14.3% 162% $125

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cancun

$51 3.6% 16.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Cancun

$48 3.4% 5.7% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $672 in Cancun. 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 38% higher in Cancun, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $55.0 in Cancun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $287 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Cancun

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

03:37 3:37 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

888,797

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cancun 15,530 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cancun

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 Cancun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $906 in Chiang Mai, $1,428 in Cancun – roughly 58% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,141 in Cancun. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Chiang Mai and $205 in Cancun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Cancun, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $906, than in Cancun at $1,428. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cancun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $906 in Chiang Mai to $1,428 in Cancun. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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