Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Xilitla

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,312 in Xilitla, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Xilitla
Learn more

Xilitla Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Xilitla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,312

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,312 in Xilitla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Xilitla $1,312

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,124 in Xilitla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Xilitla $2,124

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,936 in Xilitla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Xilitla $2,936

Chiang Mai is about 29% cheaper than Xilitla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Xilitla are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Xilitla 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$14.85 MX$274

-84.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$42.90 MX$793

-54.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$10.36 MX$191

-45.85%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.72 MX$68.8

-55.38%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.69 MX$31.14

-58.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.06 MX$19.55

-70.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$3.46 MX$63.9

-30.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$5.88 MX$109

-36.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.51 MX$27.89

29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$3.15 MX$58.2

-55.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.80 MX$33.24

-27.22%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.06 MX$56.6

-28.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$8.34 MX$154

99.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$12.18 MX$225

-77.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$18.34 MX$339

-50.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.88 MX$71.8

-38.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.58 MX$29.17

-34.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.94 MX$54.4

-44.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.80 MX$51.8

-46.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.95 MX$36.07

-33.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$3.12 MX$57.7

-64.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.09 MX$20.15

-33.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$1.35 MX$24.92

-60.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.48 MX$82.9

-3.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$16.33 MX$302

9.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$2.42 MX$44.73

-34.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$3.92 MX$72.4

-27.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.68 MX$12.53

26.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$4.51 MX$83.3

-73.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$4.36 MX$80.6

-86.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$11.07 MX$204

-78.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.51 MX$27.94

-4.64%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$21.4K MX$394.9K

-2.98%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$24.6K MX$454.6K

8.94%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$41.97 MX$776

48.51%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$16.37 MX$302

-26.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$41.94 MX$775

-52.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$34.06 MX$629

8.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$20.03 MX$370

-81.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.42 MX$119

1.25%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$351 MX$6,481

125.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$5,025 MX$92.9K

194.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$64.6 MX$1,194

-16.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$60.6 MX$1,120

-59.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$111 MX$2,059

-18.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$145 MX$2,672

-50.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$606 MX$11.2K

-24.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$382 MX$7,068

-22.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,039 MX$19.2K

-12.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$776 MX$14.3K

-28.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,911 MX$35.3K

1.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,149 MX$21.2K

25.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.05

-53.78%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Xilitla: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Xilitla

$382 29.2% 28.4% $85

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Xilitla

$347 26.4% 47.3% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Xilitla

$172 13.1% 58.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Xilitla

$100 7.6% 6.3% $5.9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Xilitla

$235 17.9% 199% $156

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Xilitla

$29 * 2.2% 52.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Xilitla

$47 3.6% 6.3% $3.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $606 in Xilitla. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $43.00 in Xilitla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $347 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Xilitla

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

11:03 11:03 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

6,576

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Xilitla 15,140 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Xilitla

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 Xilitla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xilitla costs about 42% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,968 in Xilitla. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $43.00 in Xilitla. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Xilitla, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Xilitla at $1,312. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Xilitla it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,312 in Xilitla. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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