Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San Andres Tuxtla

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,230 in San Andres Tuxtla, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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 San Andres Tuxtla
Learn more

San Andres Tuxtla Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

San Andres Tuxtla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in San Andres Tuxtla

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 San Andres Tuxtla actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,230 in San Andres Tuxtla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
San Andres Tuxtla $1,230

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,871 in San Andres Tuxtla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
San Andres Tuxtla $1,871

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,513 in San Andres Tuxtla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
San Andres Tuxtla $2,513

Chiang Mai is about 24% cheaper than San Andres Tuxtla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and San Andres Tuxtla are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, San Andres Tuxtla 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$9.72 MX$181

-76.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$46.39 MX$861

-59.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.66 MX$161

-35.91%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.21 MX$59.6

-47.98%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.56 MX$28.91

-58.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.17 MX$21.71

-73.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.74 MX$50.8

-13.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.62 MX$67.3

1.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.78 MX$33.05

9.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$2.64 MX$49.05

-45.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.55 MX$28.74

-14.19%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.52 MX$46.85

-9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$9.17 MX$170

79.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$9.18 MX$170

-69.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.92 MX$184

-6.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.65 MX$49.14

-11.32%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.53 MX$28.49

-36.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.77 MX$32.80

-9.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.70 MX$31.55

-11.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.83 MX$33.92

-30.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.75 MX$32.41

-37.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.40 MX$26.06

-49.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.04 MX$19.30

-52.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.80 MX$89.1

-13.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$11.01 MX$204

59.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.74 MX$32.30

-7.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.27 MX$60.7

-14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.68 MX$12.58

27.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$30.48 MX$566

77.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.83 MX$52.6

-59.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.23 MX$41.37

-76.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$12.20 MX$227

-80.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.60 MX$29.69

-9.38%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$22.5K MX$417.8K

-6.40%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$24.1K MX$448.4K

11.58%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$61.5 MX$1,142

1.11%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$19.76 MX$367

-38.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$28.52 MX$530

-29.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$32.08 MX$596

16.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$18.53 MX$344

-79.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.91 MX$91.2

32.18%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$201 MX$3,738

265.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$4,498 MX$83.5K

228.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$48.43 MX$899

10.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$45.77 MX$850

-46.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$90.0 MX$1,671

1.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$92.4 MX$1,715

-22.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$512 MX$9,515

-5.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$466 MX$8,662

-33.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,148 MX$21.3K

-12.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$720 MX$13.4K

-12.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,000 MX$37.1K

18.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,091 MX$20.3K

45.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 San Andres Tuxtla: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

San Andres Tuxtla

$466 37.9% 51% $158

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

San Andres Tuxtla

$266 21.6% 13.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

San Andres Tuxtla

$124 10.1% 14.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

San Andres Tuxtla

$110 8.9% 16.2% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

San Andres Tuxtla

$174 14.2% 124% $97

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

San Andres Tuxtla

$47 3.8% 23.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

San Andres Tuxtla

$42 3.4% 16.6% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $512 in San Andres Tuxtla. 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 $46 in San Andres Tuxtla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $266 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 San Andres Tuxtla

🕒 Local time

10:30 10:30 AM

21:30 9:30 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

61,719

💱 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 = 4.8 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 = 37.77 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 = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai San Andres Tuxtla 15,590 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
San Andres Tuxtla

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 San Andres Tuxtla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Andres Tuxtla costs about 31% 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 $1,845 in San Andres Tuxtla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $512 in San Andres Tuxtla. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $201 in San Andres Tuxtla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in San Andres Tuxtla, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,230 in San Andres Tuxtla. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,230 in San Andres Tuxtla. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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