Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zacapoaxtla

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Zacapoaxtla
Learn more

Zacapoaxtla Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Zacapoaxtla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Zacapoaxtla $1,055

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,651 in Zacapoaxtla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Zacapoaxtla $1,651

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,246 in Zacapoaxtla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Zacapoaxtla $2,246

Chiang Mai is about 11% cheaper than Zacapoaxtla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Zacapoaxtla are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Zacapoaxtla 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$4.67 MX$87.3

-52.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$48.73 MX$911

-61.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.50 MX$103

0.91%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.92 MX$35.79

-13.02%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.95 MX$17.84

-32.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.22 MX$22.73

-74.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.20 MX$22.45

96.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.14 MX$39.96

71.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.25 MX$23.40

56.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.12 MX$20.88

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.06 MX$19.89

25.47%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.65 MX$30.90

38.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.41 MX$213

44.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.56 MX$85.2

-39.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.96 MX$92.7

87.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.59 MX$29.69

47.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.26 MX$23.63

-23.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.52 MX$9.68

207.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.72 MX$13.45

108.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.77 MX$14.39

66.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.05 MX$19.63

4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.92 MX$17.26

-22.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.96 MX$17.93

-48.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.19 MX$78.3

-1.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$13.02 MX$243

34.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.11 MX$20.78

45.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.44 MX$82.9

-37.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.62 MX$11.65

40.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$30.07 MX$562

79.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.07 MX$19.90

8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.53 MX$9.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$5.48 MX$102

-55.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.41 MX$26.36

2.84%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$13.8K MX$257.9K

52.58%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$24.3K MX$453.3K

11.06%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$43.05 MX$804

44.41%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$26.42 MX$494

-53.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$31.94 MX$597

-37.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$30.23 MX$565

23.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$17.11 MX$320

-77.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.33 MX$118

2.53%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$439 MX$8,212

67.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$4,535 MX$84.7K

225.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$68.5 MX$1,279

-22.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$52.9 MX$988

-53.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$106 MX$1,974

-13.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$114 MX$2,139

-37.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$607 MX$11.3K

-20.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$437 MX$8,170

-29.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,014 MX$18.9K

-0.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$752 MX$14.1K

-15.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,853 MX$34.6K

27.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,018 MX$19.0K

56.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$597 MX$11.2K

-1.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.35

-50.93%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zacapoaxtla: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Zacapoaxtla

$437 41.4% 41.5% $128

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Zacapoaxtla

$188 17.8% 19.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Zacapoaxtla

$154 14.6% 41.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zacapoaxtla

$101 9.6% 7.4% $7

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Zacapoaxtla

$96 9.1% 23.5% $18

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Zacapoaxtla

$36 3.4% 40.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Zacapoaxtla

$43 4.1% 14.7% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $607 in Zacapoaxtla. 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 $49 in Zacapoaxtla. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $188 in Zacapoaxtla – so Zacapoaxtla wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Zacapoaxtla

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

05:59 5:59 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

8,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Zacapoaxtla 15,350 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zacapoaxtla

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 Zacapoaxtla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zacapoaxtla costs about 13% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,583 in Zacapoaxtla. 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 $607 in Zacapoaxtla.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $439 in Zacapoaxtla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Zacapoaxtla – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla. 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 $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.