Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pachuca

For one person, living is cheaper in Pachuca: $877 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $710 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Pachuca
Learn more

Pachuca Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Pachuca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $877 in Pachuca, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Pachuca $877

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,460 in Pachuca, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Pachuca $1,460

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,044 in Pachuca, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Pachuca $2,044

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Pachuca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Pachuca are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Pachuca 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.96 MX$93.1

-54.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$25.47 MX$478

-25.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.91 MX$148

-29.84%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.98 MX$55.9

-43.96%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.12 MX$21.00

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.80 MX$15.03

-61.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.64 MX$30.83

43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.15 MX$59.2

16.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.49 MX$27.97

30.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.51 MX$47.21

-42.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.79 MX$33.68

-25.70%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.67 MX$50.1

-14.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.13 MX$134

130.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.54 MX$85.3

-38.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.64 MX$143

21.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.00 MX$37.46

17.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.31 MX$24.67

-25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.46 MX$27.38

9.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.64 MX$30.75

-8.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.46 MX$27.36

-12.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.28 MX$23.95

-14.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.89 MX$16.68

-20.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.96 MX$17.94

-48.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.30 MX$80.7

-3.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.25 MX$155

112.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.31 MX$24.60

22.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.45 MX$46.03

13.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.59 MX$11.03

47.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$26.43 MX$496

104.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$2.62 MX$49.15

-55.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.58 MX$48.50

-79.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$10.61 MX$199

-77.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.41 MX$26.53

2.84%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$21.5K MX$404.1K

-2.16%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$22.9K MX$430.1K

17.59%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$45.14 MX$847

37.73%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$19.13 MX$359

-36.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$22.63 MX$425

-11.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$23.75 MX$446

57.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$10.81 MX$203

-65.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.20 MX$78.8

54.52%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$163 MX$3,056

352.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,635 MX$49.5K

460.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$51.0 MX$957

4.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$41.00 MX$770

-39.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$93.3 MX$1,751

-1.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$75.3 MX$1,414

-4.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$388 MX$7,278

24.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$268 MX$5,029

15.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$600 MX$11.3K

67.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$675 MX$12.7K

-6.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$737 MX$13.8K

220.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$645 MX$12.1K

146.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$651 MX$12.2K

-9.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.8

-48.43%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pachuca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Pachuca

$268 30.6% 13.3% $41

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Pachuca

$207 23.6% 11.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Pachuca

$117 13.4% 7.9% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Pachuca

$87 9.9% 8% $7.6

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Pachuca

$121 13.8% 56.4% $44

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Pachuca

$44 5.1% 27.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Pachuca

$32 3.7% 36.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $388 in Pachuca. 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 Pachuca, 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 $25 in Pachuca. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $207 in Pachuca – so Pachuca wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Pachuca

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

297,848

💱 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 Pachuca 15,280 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pachuca

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 Pachuca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Pachuca, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,315 in Pachuca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pachuca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $388 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $163 in Pachuca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

Families tend to lean toward Pachuca – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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