Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Puerto Vallarta Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Puerto Vallarta

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 29.4% cheaper than Puerto Vallarta without rent, and 44.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 34.5% cheaper than Puerto Vallarta without rent, and 44.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.03 ฿64.2
$10.56 MX$186
-80.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.59 ฿588
$47.96 MX$846
-61.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 ฿237
$9.34 MX$165
-19.91%
Cappuccino
$2.00 ฿63.2
$3.52 MX$62.1
-43.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ฿26.81
$1.85 MX$32.61
-54.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ฿11.13
$1.26 MX$22.26
-72.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 ฿70.0
$2.72 MX$47.94
-18.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.76 ฿119
$4.42 MX$78.0
-14.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 ฿54.4
$1.57 MX$27.65
9.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.63 ฿51.7
$3.47 MX$61.3
-53.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.16 ฿36.66
$2.38 MX$41.96
-51.26%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿62.6
$1.98 MX$34.93
-
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.93 ฿504
$11.38 MX$201
39.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ฿100
$10.33 MX$182
-69.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿345
$16.80 MX$297
-35.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 ฿83.7
$2.32 MX$40.88
14.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿38.70
$1.42 MX$25.08
-14.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.70 ฿53.7
$1.59 MX$28.08
6.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ฿50.3
$2.24 MX$39.58
-29.02%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 ฿41.90
$2.14 MX$37.73
-38.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ฿36.99
$3.07 MX$54.2
-61.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ฿21.46
$1.56 MX$27.45
-56.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿17.64
$1.11 MX$19.62
-49.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.51 ฿143
$4.21 MX$74.4
7.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.07 ฿604
$11.67 MX$206
63.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿56.0
$1.95 MX$34.43
-9.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ฿101
$3.40 MX$60.0
-6.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 ฿30.47
$0.51 MX$9.09
88.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.90 ฿598
$15.70 MX$277
20.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ฿42.98
$2.94 MX$51.9
-53.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿42.80
$2.63 MX$46.35
-48.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.03 ฿254
$4.33 MX$76.3
85.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ฿39.34
$1.32 MX$23.32
-6.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿669.8K
$15.0K MX$265.0K
40.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿688.5K
$22.9K MX$404.2K
-4.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.2 ฿2,255
$93.7 MX$1,653
-23.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.09 ฿446
$22.90 MX$404
-38.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.47 ฿553
$31.89 MX$563
-45.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.07 ฿1,332
$36.11 MX$637
16.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.88 ฿218
$13.23 MX$234
-48.00%
Cinema Ticket
$5.94 ฿188
$7.98 MX$141
-25.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$307 ฿9,728
$355 MX$6,272
-13.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿468.2K
$6,292 MX$111.0K
135.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.7 ฿1,762
$52.8 MX$933
5.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.79 ฿848
$33.93 MX$599
-21.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.2 ฿2,634
$97.6 MX$1,723
-14.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.1 ฿2,219
$93.0 MX$1,642
-24.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.5K
$977 MX$17.2K
-56.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ฿7,504
$675 MX$11.9K
-64.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 ฿25.4K
$1,925 MX$34.0K
-58.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$503 ฿15.9K
$1,249 MX$22.0K
-59.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,061 ฿65.2K
$5,428 MX$95.8K
-62.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,533 ฿48.5K
$2,544 MX$44.9K
-39.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$654 ฿20.7K
$1,016 MX$17.9K
-35.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
11.5
-56.52%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Puerto Vallarta: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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