Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cuernavaca

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,208 in Cuernavaca, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
Learn more

Cuernavaca Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,208 in Cuernavaca, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Cuernavaca $1,208

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,788 in Cuernavaca, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cuernavaca $1,788

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,368 in Cuernavaca, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cuernavaca $2,368

Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper than Cuernavaca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Cuernavaca are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Cuernavaca 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$7.98 MX$149

-71.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$37.14 MX$694

-48.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.83 MX$128

-18.74%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.48 MX$46.28

-32.66%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.31 MX$24.45

-51.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.61 MX$11.42

-49.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.44 MX$45.52

-3.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.27 MX$61.1

11.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.62 MX$30.31

20.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.21 MX$41.29

-34.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.42 MX$26.50

-6.34%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.89 MX$35.23

20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.76 MX$145

111.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.82 MX$90.0

-42.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.55 MX$253

-31.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.21 MX$41.26

6.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.32 MX$24.73

-26.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.22 MX$41.45

-27.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.66 MX$30.95

-9.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.76 MX$32.94

-27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.71 MX$31.94

-35.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.49 MX$27.89

-52.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.83 MX$15.50

-40.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.23 MX$79.1

-2.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$8.03 MX$150

118.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.21 MX$22.63

33.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.30 MX$61.6

-15.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.71 MX$13.31

22.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$34.93 MX$653

54.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.91 MX$35.62

-39.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.49 MX$46.60

-78.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$10.64 MX$199

-77.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.33 MX$24.94

9.02%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$24.5K MX$456.9K

-13.88%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$23.4K MX$436.5K

15.32%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$56.4 MX$1,054

10.27%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$18.52 MX$346

-34.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$24.73 MX$462

-18.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$29.09 MX$543

28.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.24 MX$97.9

23.85%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$218 MX$4,072

237.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$5,055 MX$94.5K

192.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$40.44 MX$756

31.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$32.23 MX$602

-23.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$92.5 MX$1,728

-1.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$97.7 MX$1,826

-26.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$619 MX$11.6K

-22.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$529 MX$9,882

-41.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$901 MX$16.8K

11.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$803 MX$15.0K

-21.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$851 MX$15.9K

177.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$594 MX$11.1K

167.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$638 MX$11.9K

-7.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.4

-51.14%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cuernavaca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cuernavaca

$529 43.8% 71.2% $220

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cuernavaca

$229 19% 2.3% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cuernavaca

$118 9.8% 8.9% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cuernavaca

$100 8.3% 5.5% $5.2

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cuernavaca

$140 11.6% 81% $63

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cuernavaca

$52 4.3% 15% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cuernavaca

$40 3.3% 21.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $619 in Cuernavaca. 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 8% higher in Cuernavaca, 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 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Cuernavaca. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $229 in Cuernavaca – so Cuernavaca wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

05:07 5:07 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

341,029

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cuernavaca 15,370 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cuernavaca

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 Cuernavaca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuernavaca costs about 29% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,812 in Cuernavaca. 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 $619 in Cuernavaca.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $37 in Cuernavaca. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Cuernavaca. 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 $1,208 in Cuernavaca. 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 $1,208 in Cuernavaca. 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, Cuernavaca makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.