Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sayulita

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,135 in Sayulita, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Sayulita
Learn more

Sayulita Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Sayulita

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,135 in Sayulita, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Sayulita $1,135

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,806 in Sayulita, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Sayulita $1,806

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,476 in Sayulita, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Sayulita $2,476

Chiang Mai is about 18% cheaper than Sayulita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Sayulita are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sayulita 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.2

$10.37 MX$192

-79.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿622

$39.43 MX$732

-52.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$8.13 MX$151

-31.12%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.5

$3.26 MX$60.4

-49.08%

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

$0.65 ฿21.59

$1.29 MX$23.91

-49.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.18

$0.91 MX$16.98

-67.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.5

$2.15 MX$39.91

7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿122

$3.99 MX$74.1

-8.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.3

$1.43 MX$26.57

41.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.00

$2.63 MX$48.90

-46.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.46

$1.63 MX$30.27

-14.72%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.0

$2.34 MX$43.40

1.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿551

$8.23 MX$153

100.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.1

$7.96 MX$148

-66.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿301

$10.64 MX$197

-15.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.1

$2.61 MX$48.51

-8.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.76

$1.40 MX$25.92

-25.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.78 MX$33.03

-6.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.0

$1.69 MX$31.43

-7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.31

$1.85 MX$34.36

-32.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.27

$1.94 MX$35.95

-43.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.43

$1.22 MX$22.62

-37.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.16

$0.98 MX$18.12

-47.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$4.17 MX$77.3

-1.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿598

$10.93 MX$203

64.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.2

$1.61 MX$29.81

0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.2

$2.87 MX$53.3

-1.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.19

$0.66 MX$12.20

40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,766

$30.75 MX$571

72.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.28

$2.66 MX$49.34

-55.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.72

$1.61 MX$29.84

-89.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.5

$8.08 MX$150

-77.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.16

$1.27 MX$23.49

15.75%

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

$21.0K ฿701.4K

$21.0K MX$390.2K

-0.06%

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

$26.5K ฿885.1K

$22.0K MX$409.2K

20.27%

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

$62.6 ฿2,088

$56.7 MX$1,052

10.34%

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

$11.60 ฿387

$22.35 MX$415

-48.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿678

$28.37 MX$527

-28.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,264

$36.51 MX$678

3.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿123

$16.17 MX$300

-77.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿217

$4.53 MX$84.0

43.71%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$207 MX$3,851

250.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿553.2K

$3,622 MX$67.2K

357.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,787

$52.6 MX$976

1.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿828

$38.96 MX$723

-36.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,017

$92.1 MX$1,710

-1.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,402

$78.6 MX$1,459

-8.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$513 MX$9,524

-6.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.3K

$395 MX$7,326

-21.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.3K

$942 MX$17.5K

12.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$762 MX$14.1K

-13.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.7K

$1,781 MX$33.0K

35.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.7K

$1,154 MX$21.4K

39.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.48

-51.48%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sayulita: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Sayulita

$395 34.8% 27.4% $85

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Sayulita

$252 22.2% 6.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Sayulita

$118 10.4% 9% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sayulita

$107 9.5% 13.7% $13

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Sayulita

$174 15.3% 127% $97

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Sayulita

$44 3.9% 24.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Sayulita

$46 4% 10.5% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $513 in Sayulita. 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 $39 in Sayulita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $252 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Sayulita

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

09:40 9:40 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

5,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.85 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sayulita 14,870 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sayulita

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 Sayulita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sayulita costs about 21% 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 $1,703 in Sayulita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Chiang Mai and $513 in Sayulita. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $207 in Sayulita. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Sayulita, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,135 in Sayulita. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $1,135 in Sayulita. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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