Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Colima

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Colima: $936 and $941 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Colima
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Colima Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $941 in Colima, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Colima $941

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,533 in Colima, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Colima $1,533

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,125 in Colima, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Colima $2,125

Chiang Mai and Colima have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$7.36 MX$138

-69.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$32.08 MX$603

-40.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.15 MX$134

-22.38%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.09 MX$39.28

-20.10%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.97 MX$18.27

-34.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.83 MX$15.54

-62.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.20 MX$41.30

7.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.48 MX$46.67

47.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.51 MX$28.36

29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$2.54 MX$47.69

-43.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.14 MX$21.39

16.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.77 MX$52.1

-17.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.19 MX$154

100.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$8.31 MX$156

-66.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.69 MX$182

-3.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.80 MX$52.7

-16.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.35 MX$25.45

-28.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.69 MX$31.68

-5.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.12 MX$39.83

-29.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.29 MX$43.08

-44.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.27 MX$42.64

-51.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.47 MX$27.55

-51.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.11 MX$20.91

-55.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.73 MX$70.1

10.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.36 MX$119

175.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.49 MX$27.99

8.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.73 MX$32.56

60.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.68 MX$12.71

27.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$19.57 MX$368

176.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$2.49 MX$46.79

-53.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.77 MX$52.0

-80.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$9.16 MX$172

-73.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.38 MX$25.98

5.07%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$22.1K MX$416.3K

-4.92%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$22.0K MX$412.8K

22.65%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$65.5 MX$1,230

-5.03%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$19.85 MX$373

-38.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$28.60 MX$538

-29.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$34.63 MX$651

7.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$21.43 MX$403

-82.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.68 MX$88.0

38.68%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$141 MX$2,654

421.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$2,527 MX$47.5K

484.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$44.57 MX$838

19.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$24.99 MX$470

-1.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$73.3 MX$1,378

24.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$98.0 MX$1,842

-26.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$257 MX$4,830

87.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$263 MX$4,936

17.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$369 MX$6,933

172.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$574 MX$10.8K

10.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$280 MX$5,266

110.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.3

-50.71%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Colima: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Colima

$263 27.9% 15% $46

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Colima

$245 26% 4.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Colima

$108 11.5% 0.2% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Colima

$114 12.1% 20.6% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Colima

$129 13.7% 65.7% $51

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Colima

$39 4.1% 37.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Colima

$44 4.7% 12.5% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $257 in Colima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $32 in Colima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $245 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Colima

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

18:58 6:58 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

146,965

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Colima 15,110 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Colima

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 Colima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,412 in Colima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Colima, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $257 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $32 in Colima. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Colima. 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 $941 in Colima. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $941 in Colima. 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.