Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Miguel Hidalgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,203 in Miguel Hidalgo, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Miguel Hidalgo
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Miguel Hidalgo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Miguel Hidalgo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Miguel Hidalgo

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,203 in Miguel Hidalgo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Miguel Hidalgo $1,203

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,989 in Miguel Hidalgo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Miguel Hidalgo $1,989

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,775 in Miguel Hidalgo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Miguel Hidalgo $2,775

Chiang Mai is about 22% cheaper than Miguel Hidalgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Miguel Hidalgo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Miguel Hidalgo 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$10.81 MX$201

-79.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$83.0 MX$1,541

-77.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.40 MX$156

-33.93%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.53 MX$65.6

-52.69%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.38 MX$25.71

-53.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.98 MX$18.16

-68.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.27 MX$42.07

3.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$6.06 MX$113

-39.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.57 MX$29.16

24.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$2.54 MX$47.10

-43.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.70 MX$31.65

-21.76%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.50 MX$46.35

-8.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$7.93 MX$147

107.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$9.20 MX$171

-69.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.20 MX$208

-16.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.73 MX$50.7

-13.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.51 MX$27.98

-35.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.87 MX$34.65

-14.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.79 MX$33.23

-16.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.98 MX$36.69

-35.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.86 MX$34.53

-40.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.38 MX$25.68

-48.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.12 MX$20.77

-56.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.36 MX$80.9

-5.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$10.21 MX$190

71.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.77 MX$32.88

-9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.09 MX$57.3

-10.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.63 MX$11.64

38.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$32.17 MX$597

68.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.49 MX$46.20

-53.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.04 MX$37.96

-74.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$9.47 MX$176

-74.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.40 MX$26.07

3.57%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$23.7K MX$440.0K

-11.11%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$23.4K MX$434.1K

15.25%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$30.64 MX$569

102.90%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$22.21 MX$413

-45.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$30.43 MX$565

-33.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$45.70 MX$849

-18.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$20.26 MX$376

-81.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.17 MX$96.0

25.53%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$218 MX$4,042

238.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$4,856 MX$90.2K

204.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$73.8 MX$1,371

-27.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$39.52 MX$734

-37.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$91.1 MX$1,691

0.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$88.2 MX$1,637

-18.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$586 MX$10.9K

-17.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$434 MX$8,054

-28.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,041 MX$19.3K

-3.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$749 MX$13.9K

-15.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,919 MX$35.6K

23.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,123 MX$20.9K

41.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$536 MX$9,958

9.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.31

-50.75%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Miguel Hidalgo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Miguel Hidalgo

$434 36% 40.4% $125

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Miguel Hidalgo

$264 22% 12.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Miguel Hidalgo

$132 10.9% 21.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Miguel Hidalgo

$83 6.9% 11.8% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Miguel Hidalgo

$187 15.5% 141% $109

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Miguel Hidalgo

$47 3.9% 22.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Miguel Hidalgo

$56 4.7% 11.5% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $586 in Miguel Hidalgo. 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 10% 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 $83 in Miguel Hidalgo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $264 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Miguel Hidalgo

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

02:44 2:44 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

414,470

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Miguel Hidalgo 15,330 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Miguel Hidalgo

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 Miguel Hidalgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miguel Hidalgo 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 $1,805 in Miguel Hidalgo. 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 $586 in Miguel Hidalgo.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $218 in Miguel Hidalgo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Miguel Hidalgo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,203 in Miguel Hidalgo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,203 in Miguel Hidalgo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.