Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San Luis Rio Colorado

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,229 in San Luis Rio Colorado, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in San Luis Rio Colorado
Learn more

San Luis Rio Colorado Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

San Luis Rio Colorado

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in San Luis Rio Colorado

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 Luis Rio Colorado actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,229 in San Luis Rio Colorado, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
San Luis Rio Colorado $1,229

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,860 in San Luis Rio Colorado, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
San Luis Rio Colorado $1,860

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,491 in San Luis Rio Colorado, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
San Luis Rio Colorado $2,491

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

Both Chiang Mai and San Luis Rio Colorado are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, San Luis Rio Colorado 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$11.95 MX$222

-81.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$33.23 MX$617

-42.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.45 MX$175

-41.27%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$4.19 MX$77.9

-60.14%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.42 MX$26.35

-54.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.23 MX$22.85

-74.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.16 MX$58.7

-25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$6.43 MX$119

-43.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.72 MX$31.94

13.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$2.93 MX$54.5

-50.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.76 MX$32.67

-24.43%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.10 MX$57.5

-26.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$8.46 MX$157

94.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$7.24 MX$134

-61.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.50 MX$213

-19.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.87 MX$53.4

-18.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.59 MX$29.60

-38.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.96 MX$36.44

-18.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.56 MX$29.02

-3.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.49 MX$27.59

-14.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.82 MX$33.71

-39.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.45 MX$26.94

-51.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.04 MX$19.35

-52.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.39 MX$81.5

-5.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$7.98 MX$148

119.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$2.21 MX$41.04

-27.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.02 MX$74.7

-30.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.69 MX$12.74

26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$32.51 MX$604

66.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.75 MX$51.0

-57.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.20 MX$40.93

-75.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$10.75 MX$200

-77.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.50 MX$27.87

-3.33%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$24.2K MX$450.0K

-13.09%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$23.6K MX$438.6K

14.08%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$46.01 MX$854

35.12%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$32.95 MX$612

-63.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$29.62 MX$550

-32.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$32.11 MX$596

16.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$19.37 MX$360

-80.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.45 MX$120

0.62%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$206 MX$3,817

258.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$4,436 MX$82.4K

232.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$52.5 MX$975

1.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$45.76 MX$850

-46.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$103 MX$1,909

-11.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$69.7 MX$1,295

3.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$572 MX$10.6K

-15.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$428 MX$7,946

-27.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$893 MX$16.6K

12.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$668 MX$12.4K

-5.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,110 MX$39.2K

12.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,092 MX$20.3K

45.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.07

-53.85%

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 Luis Rio Colorado: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$428 34.8% 38.5% $119

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$263 21.4% 12.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$122 9.9% 12.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$109 8.8% 14.9% $14

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$213 17.4% 175% $136

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$49 4% 20.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$45 3.7% 10.5% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $572 in San Luis Rio Colorado. 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 $33 in San Luis Rio Colorado. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $263 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 San Luis Rio Colorado

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

20:22 8:22 PM

14 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

176,685

💱 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 Luis Rio Colorado 13,280 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
San Luis Rio Colorado

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 Luis Rio Colorado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Luis Rio Colorado 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 $1,843 in San Luis Rio Colorado. 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 $572 in San Luis Rio Colorado.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $206 in San Luis Rio Colorado. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in San Luis Rio Colorado, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,229 in San Luis Rio Colorado. 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 $1,229 in San Luis Rio Colorado. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.