Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mazatlan

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,392 in Mazatlan, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Mazatlan
Learn more

Mazatlan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,392

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,392 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Mazatlan $1,392

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,002 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Mazatlan $2,002

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,612 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Mazatlan $2,612

Chiang Mai is about 33% cheaper than Mazatlan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Mazatlan is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$10.56 MX$198

-78.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$45.04 MX$846

-57.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.26 MX$155

-32.81%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.34 MX$62.7

-50.00%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.41 MX$26.55

-54.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.07 MX$20.05

-71.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.98 MX$37.17

19.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.63 MX$49.31

39.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.61 MX$30.22

21.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.49 MX$46.82

-42.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.34 MX$25.23

-0.75%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.65 MX$49.82

-13.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.85 MX$147

109.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.78 MX$127

-59.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.75 MX$146

20.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.66 MX$49.99

-11.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.58 MX$29.73

-38.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.60 MX$29.95

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.46 MX$8.64

226.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.64 MX$30.84

-21.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.30 MX$24.46

-15.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.48 MX$27.81

-52.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.94 MX$74.1

5.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$15.55 MX$292

12.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.05 MX$38.58

-21.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.13 MX$58.8

-11.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.73 MX$13.64

19.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$39.65 MX$744

36.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$3.46 MX$65.0

-66.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.38 MX$44.78

-77.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.46 MX$27.47

-0.68%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$21.1K MX$396.6K

-0.30%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$24.0K MX$449.7K

12.47%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$57.5 MX$1,079

8.14%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$45.40 MX$852

-73.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$41.54 MX$780

-51.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$42.74 MX$802

-12.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.44 MX$83.3

46.17%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$87.0 MX$1,634

745.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$1,967 MX$36.9K

650.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$61.7 MX$1,159

-13.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$26.92 MX$505

-8.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$109 MX$2,048

-16.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$81.9 MX$1,538

-12.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$802 MX$15.1K

-39.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$607 MX$11.4K

-49.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,247 MX$23.4K

-19.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$826 MX$15.5K

-23.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,520 MX$28.5K

55.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,028 MX$19.3K

54.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$520 MX$9,772

13.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.6

-51.98%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mazatlan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Mazatlan

$607 43.6% 96.6% $299

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Mazatlan

$230 * 16.6% 1.7% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Mazatlan

$126 9% 15.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Mazatlan

$144 10.4% 52.9% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Mazatlan

$174 12.5% 125% $97

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Mazatlan

$58 4.2% 5.6% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Mazatlan

$52 3.7% 2.7% $1.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $802 in Mazatlan. 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 13% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $45 in Mazatlan. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $230 in Mazatlan – so Mazatlan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Mazatlan

🕒 Local time

00:52 12:52 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

14 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

441,975

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Mazatlan 14,590 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mazatlan

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 Mazatlan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mazatlan costs about 49% 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 $2,088 in Mazatlan. 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 $802 in Mazatlan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $45 in Mazatlan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Mazatlan. 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 $1,392 in Mazatlan. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.