Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tulum

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,238 in Tulum, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities 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 Tulum
Learn more

Tulum Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,238

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,238 in Tulum, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Tulum $1,238

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,052 in Tulum, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Tulum $2,052

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,866 in Tulum, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Tulum $2,866

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

Both Chiang Mai and Tulum are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Tulum 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$7.91 MX$148

-71.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$54.9 MX$1,030

-65.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.28 MX$156

-32.97%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.76 MX$70.6

-55.59%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.12 MX$21.06

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.16 MX$21.77

-73.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.90 MX$54.5

-18.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.70 MX$69.5

-1.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.58 MX$29.67

23.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.95 MX$36.56

-26.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.71 MX$32.19

-22.22%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.92 MX$36.07

18.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.42 MX$102

203.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$7.57 MX$142

-63.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.70 MX$163

7.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.56 MX$48.15

-8.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.36 MX$25.47

-28.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.43 MX$26.80

11.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.52 MX$28.54

-1.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$2.18 MX$40.84

-41.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.82 MX$34.11

-39.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.47 MX$27.59

-51.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.81 MX$15.22

-39.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.32 MX$81.2

-4.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.90 MX$148

121.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.35 MX$25.38

19.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.31 MX$24.67

112.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$1.33 MX$25.05

-34.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$2.66 MX$49.89

-56.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.43 MX$45.63

-78.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$5.27 MX$98.9

-54.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.43 MX$26.77

1.40%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$21.5K MX$404.1K

-2.16%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$23.4K MX$439.4K

15.12%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$102 MX$1,910

-38.89%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$16.11 MX$302

-24.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$33.35 MX$626

-39.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$33.19 MX$623

12.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.56 MX$123

-1.07%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$264 MX$4,947

179.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,955 MX$55.5K

399.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$41.07 MX$771

29.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$32.83 MX$616

-24.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$93.6 MX$1,758

-2.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$58.7 MX$1,102

22.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$599 MX$11.2K

-19.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$539 MX$10.1K

-42.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,511 MX$28.4K

-33.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,241 MX$23.3K

-48.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$3,150 MX$59.1K

-24.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,783 MX$33.5K

-10.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$780 MX$14.6K

-24.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.8

-48.43%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tulum: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Tulum

$539 43.6% 74.6% $230

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Tulum

$215 17.4% 8.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Tulum

$102 8.2% 6.3% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Tulum

$151 12.2% 60.1% $57

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Tulum

$164 13.3% 112% $87

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tulum

$20 * 1.6% 67.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Tulum

$46 3.7% 7.9% $4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $599 in Tulum. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 32% higher in Tulum, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $55 in Tulum. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $215 in Tulum – so Tulum wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Tulum

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

20:41 8:41 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

46,721

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Tulum 15,590 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tulum

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 Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tulum costs about 32% 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 $1,858 in Tulum. 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 $599 in Tulum.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $55 in Tulum. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Tulum – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,238 in Tulum. 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 $1,238 in Tulum. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tulum makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.