Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Oaxaca de Juarez

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,124 in Oaxaca de Juarez, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Oaxaca de Juarez
Learn more

Oaxaca de Juarez Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Oaxaca de Juarez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,124

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Oaxaca de Juarez

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 Oaxaca de Juarez actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,124 in Oaxaca de Juarez, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Oaxaca de Juarez $1,124

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,735 in Oaxaca de Juarez, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Oaxaca de Juarez $1,735

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,347 in Oaxaca de Juarez, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Oaxaca de Juarez $2,347

Chiang Mai is about 17% cheaper than Oaxaca de Juarez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Oaxaca de Juarez are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Oaxaca de Juarez 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.41 MX$120

-65.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$32.43 MX$609

-41.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.88 MX$148

-29.57%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.72 MX$51.2

-38.60%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.44 MX$26.99

-55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.80 MX$14.99

-61.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.38 MX$44.73

-0.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.72 MX$69.9

-1.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.30 MX$24.46

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$2.95 MX$55.5

-51.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.06 MX$19.83

25.47%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.65 MX$31.07

38.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.46 MX$121

154.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.46 MX$103

-49.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.74 MX$202

-13.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.09 MX$39.32

12.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.16 MX$21.82

-16.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.84 MX$34.67

-13.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.55 MX$10.42

172.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.00 MX$37.64

-36.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.91 MX$35.89

-42.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.07 MX$20.04

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.91 MX$17.07

-46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.13 MX$77.7

0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.29 MX$175

88.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.44 MX$27.03

11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.63 MX$49.47

5.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.52 MX$9.73

67.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$3.88 MX$72.9

-70.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.93 MX$36.28

-72.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$10.94 MX$206

-77.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.36 MX$25.51

6.62%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$23.8K MX$446.4K

-11.35%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$23.9K MX$449.6K

12.62%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$59.8 MX$1,124

3.91%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.73 MX$202

13.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$23.45 MX$441

-14.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$43.86 MX$824

-14.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.35 MX$101

21.31%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$419 MX$7,879

75.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$19.3K MX$363.3K

-23.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$52.8 MX$991

1.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$60.5 MX$1,137

-59.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$100.0 MX$1,879

-8.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$93.7 MX$1,760

-23.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$703 MX$13.2K

-31.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$470 MX$8,825

-34.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,168 MX$21.9K

-13.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$871 MX$16.4K

-27.24%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.96

-49.18%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Oaxaca de Juarez: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$470 41.8% 52% $161

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$216 19.2% 7.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$138 12.3% 27.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$94 8.4% 0.5% $0.5

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$136 12.1% 75.1% $58

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$16 * 1.4% 74.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Oaxaca de Juarez

$55 4.9% 8.5% $4.3

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 $703 in Oaxaca de Juarez. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $32 in Oaxaca de Juarez. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $216 in Oaxaca de Juarez – so Oaxaca de Juarez wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Oaxaca de Juarez

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

23:36 11:36 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

258,913

💱 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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Between locations

Chiang Mai Oaxaca de Juarez 15,670 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Oaxaca de Juarez

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 Oaxaca de Juarez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oaxaca de Juarez costs about 20% 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 $1,685 in Oaxaca de Juarez. 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 $703 in Oaxaca de Juarez.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Oaxaca de Juarez – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,124 in Oaxaca de Juarez. 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 $1,124 in Oaxaca de Juarez. 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.