Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Chapala Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Chapala

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 3.6% cheaper than Chapala without rent, and 15.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 8.9% cheaper than Chapala without rent, and 6.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Chapala
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.02 ฿65.3
$8.35 MX$158
-75.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.78 ฿608
$33.86 MX$640
-44.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.67 ฿248
$7.06 MX$134
8.64%
Cappuccino
$1.98 ฿64.2
$3.27 MX$61.7
-39.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 ฿26.64
$1.98 MX$37.35
-58.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿10.58
$1.02 MX$19.22
-67.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.12 ฿68.6
$1.98 MX$37.45
7.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 ฿121
$3.1 MX$58.7
20.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Chapala
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ฿53.2
$1.63 MX$30.88
0.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.57 ฿50.9
$2.74 MX$51.7
-42.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 ฿38.62
$1.57 MX$29.74
-24.20%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿64.1
$2.17 MX$41.04
-8.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.99 ฿517
$7.8 MX$147
105.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.12 ฿101
$7.3 MX$138
-57.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.16 ฿361
$7.72 MX$146
44.56%
Apples (1kg)
$2.76 ฿89.2
$2.24 MX$42.43
23.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿39.5
$0.96 MX$18.22
27.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 ฿55.4
$0.91 MX$17.19
87.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.55 ฿50.2
$1.46 MX$27.51
6.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.34 ฿43.21
$1.36 MX$25.79
-1.47%
Onion (1kg)
$1.21 ฿39.23
$1.04 MX$19.6
16.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿23.2
$0.9 MX$17
-20.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ฿17.05
$0.83 MX$15.61
-36.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.72 ฿153
$3.94 MX$74.5
19.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.39 ฿595
$9.48 MX$179
93.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ฿57.9
$1.35 MX$25.54
32.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 ฿104
$1.62 MX$30.59
98.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Chapala
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 ฿30.44
$0.62 MX$11.68
51.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.9 ฿612
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ฿46.08
$1.05 MX$19.79
35.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿43.53
$1.47 MX$27.88
-8.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.85 ฿254
$3.22 MX$60.9
143.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 ฿40.4
$1.26 MX$23.79
-0.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿684.9K
$18.3K MX$345.2K
15.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿706.8K
$18.9K MX$357.7K
15.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Chapala
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.6 ฿2,285
$48.8 MX$923
44.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.72 ฿444
$17.28 MX$327
-20.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.56 ฿568
$26.03 MX$492
-32.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Chapala
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.64 ฿1,347
$25.2 MX$476
65.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.9 ฿223
$16.08 MX$304
-57.09%
Cinema Ticket
$5.8 ฿188
$4.3 MX$81.3
34.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Chapala
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 ฿9,963
$182 MX$3,434
69.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.7K ฿475.8K
$2,575 MX$48.7K
471.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Chapala
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 ฿1,793
$43.16 MX$816
28.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.4 ฿854
$16.02 MX$303
64.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.1 ฿2,755
$67.4 MX$1,275
26.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.8 ฿2,323
$55.3 MX$1,046
29.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Chapala
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$434 ฿14K
$463 MX$8,750
-6.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$235 ฿7,610
$431 MX$8,143
-45.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$821 ฿26.6K
$786 MX$14.9K
4.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$498 ฿16.1K
$623 MX$11.8K
-20.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,180 ฿70.6K
$1,798 MX$34K
21.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,543 ฿49.9K
$706 MX$13.3K
118.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Chapala
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$703 ฿22.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
11.24
-55.52%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

Last update for Chapala: October 29, 2025

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