Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Villahermosa

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,219 in Villahermosa, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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 Villahermosa
Learn more

Villahermosa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Villahermosa

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,219 in Villahermosa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Villahermosa $1,219

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,057 in Villahermosa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Villahermosa $2,057

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,895 in Villahermosa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Villahermosa $2,895

Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper than Villahermosa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$10.57 MX$198

-78.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$35.43 MX$664

-46.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.57 MX$198

-47.49%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.38 MX$63.3

-50.59%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.23 MX$22.97

-47.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$1.17 MX$21.94

-73.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.84 MX$53.3

-16.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.36 MX$100

-31.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.73 MX$32.42

12.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.75 MX$32.72

-17.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.31 MX$24.60

1.53%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.92 MX$35.93

18.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.45 MX$158

94.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$10.51 MX$197

-73.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.38 MX$251

-30.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.39 MX$63.6

-30.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.38 MX$25.89

-29.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.64 MX$30.81

-2.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.18 MX$22.08

27.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.65 MX$30.84

-22.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.34 MX$25.03

-17.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.31 MX$24.64

-45.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.24 MX$23.27

-60.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.42 MX$120

-35.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.62 MX$180

82.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.70 MX$50.7

-40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.42 MX$120

-56.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.55 MX$10.36

58.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$23.50 MX$440

130.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$2.14 MX$40.07

-45.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$2.17 MX$40.70

-75.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$10.82 MX$203

-77.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.35 MX$25.31

7.41%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$22.9K MX$428.3K

-7.87%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$26.6K MX$498.2K

1.34%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$62.4 MX$1,170

-0.43%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$28.41 MX$532

-57.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$32.67 MX$612

-38.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$50.0 MX$937

-25.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.32 MX$81.0

50.23%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$303 MX$5,674

143.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$4,331 MX$81.2K

240.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$63.7 MX$1,195

-16.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$75.6 MX$1,417

21.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$58.1 MX$1,089

23.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$476 MX$8,915

1.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$441 MX$8,266

-29.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,589 MX$29.8K

-36.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,159 MX$21.7K

-45.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,205 MX$22.6K

31.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Villahermosa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Villahermosa

$441 36.2% 42.8% $132

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Villahermosa

$277 22.7% 18.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Villahermosa

$89 * 7.3% 18.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Villahermosa

$124 10.1% 30.8% $29

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Villahermosa

$191 15.7% 147% $114

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Villahermosa

$39 3.2% 36.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Villahermosa

$59 4.8% 16.6% $8.4

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 $476 in Villahermosa. 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 $35 in Villahermosa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $277 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Villahermosa

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

12:26 12:26 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

340,060

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Villahermosa 15,720 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Villahermosa

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 Villahermosa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Villahermosa costs about 30% 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 $1,828 in Villahermosa. 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 $476 in Villahermosa. 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 $303 in Villahermosa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Villahermosa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,219 in Villahermosa. 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 $1,219 in Villahermosa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.