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 30.9% cheaper than Puerto Vallarta without rent, and 42.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 33.3% cheaper than Puerto Vallarta without rent, and 44.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.01 ฿64.4
$10.54 MX$182
-80.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.23 ฿583
$46.70 MX$807
-60.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.65 ฿244
$9.62 MX$166
-20.48%
Cappuccino
$1.92 ฿61.3
$3.44 MX$59.4
-44.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 ฿26.90
$1.88 MX$32.48
-55.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ฿11.39
$1.20 MX$20.79
-70.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 ฿70.0
$2.71 MX$46.74
-19.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿121
$4.40 MX$75.9
-13.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ฿52.4
$1.57 MX$27.18
4.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 ฿51.8
$3.43 MX$59.3
-52.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.15 ฿36.88
$2.44 MX$42.16
-52.87%
Eggs
$1.94 ฿62.0
$2.05 MX$35.44
-5.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 ฿510
$11.05 MX$191
44.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.10 ฿99.2
$10.61 MX$183
-70.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.07 ฿354
$16.39 MX$283
-32.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.71 ฿86.5
$2.40 MX$41.48
12.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 ฿37.69
$1.38 MX$23.87
-14.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 ฿54.5
$1.67 MX$28.88
2.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.3
$2.31 MX$39.93
-30.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.39 ฿44.53
$2.25 MX$38.77
-38.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 ฿36.70
$2.97 MX$51.3
-61.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿22.76
$1.48 MX$25.49
-52.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿17.60
$1.11 MX$19.16
-50.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.57 ฿146
$4.15 MX$71.6
10.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.87 ฿603
$11.64 MX$201
62.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿58.2
$1.99 MX$34.39
-8.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 ฿103
$3.27 MX$56.5
-1.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ฿28.16
$0.55 MX$9.42
60.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.89 ฿604
$15.82 MX$273
19.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.41 ฿45.17
$2.84 MX$49.05
-50.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 ฿41.59
$2.67 MX$46.07
-51.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 ฿262
$4.14 MX$71.6
98.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 ฿39.18
$1.31 MX$22.66
-6.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿677.0K
$14.7K MX$253.8K
44.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ฿713.3K
$22.7K MX$392.4K
-1.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$69.9 ฿2,234
$94.6 MX$1,633
-26.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.07 ฿450
$23.80 MX$411
-40.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.70 ฿566
$30.77 MX$531
-42.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.41 ฿1,324
$35.30 MX$610
17.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.69 ฿214
$13.20 MX$228
-49.32%
Cinema Ticket
$5.74 ฿184
$8.01 MX$138
-28.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$299 ฿9,566
$365 MX$6,309
-18.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.0K ฿479.8K
$6,310 MX$109.0K
137.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 ฿1,753
$51.9 MX$897
5.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.35 ฿842
$33.33 MX$576
-20.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.7 ฿2,706
$100 MX$1,728
-15.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.7 ฿2,229
$92.4 MX$1,595
-24.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.6K
$997 MX$17.2K
-57.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$241 ฿7,697
$685 MX$11.8K
-64.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$811 ฿25.9K
$1,935 MX$33.4K
-58.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$498 ฿15.9K
$1,274 MX$22.0K
-60.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,022 ฿64.7K
$5,275 MX$91.1K
-61.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,524 ฿48.7K
$2,631 MX$45.4K
-42.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$639 ฿20.4K
$1,031 MX$17.8K
-37.99%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Puerto Vallarta: April 11, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities