Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zacatecas

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $730 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
Learn more

Zacatecas Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $730 in Zacatecas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Zacatecas $730

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,155 in Zacatecas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Zacatecas $1,155

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,580 in Zacatecas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Zacatecas $1,580

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Zacatecas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Zacatecas are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Zacatecas 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.06 MX$114

-63.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$31.91 MX$598

-40.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.17 MX$134

-22.59%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.01 MX$56.5

-44.52%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.25 MX$23.47

-48.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.72 MX$13.45

-56.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.84 MX$34.43

28.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.13 MX$77.4

-11.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.35 MX$25.32

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$2.15 MX$40.22

-33.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.53 MX$28.60

-13.07%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.21 MX$41.39

3.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.28 MX$137

125.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.96 MX$112

-53.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.62 MX$180

-3.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.78 MX$33.33

32.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.59 MX$29.82

-38.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.93 MX$36.11

-17.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.46 MX$27.33

2.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.99 MX$37.23

-35.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.77 MX$33.20

-37.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.58 MX$29.65

-55.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.80 MX$14.97

-38.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.25 MX$79.7

-2.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.27 MX$193

70.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.60 MX$29.96

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.35 MX$62.8

-17.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.53 MX$9.89

64.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$16.07 MX$301

236.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$2.13 MX$39.98

-45.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.11 MX$20.79

-52.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$9.49 MX$178

-74.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.46 MX$27.36

-0.68%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$20.9K MX$392.2K

0.68%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$23.8K MX$445.9K

13.30%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$22.72 MX$426

173.64%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$7.97 MX$149

52.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$24.73 MX$464

-18.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$24.23 MX$454

53.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.96 MX$149

-52.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.24 MX$79.6

53.07%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$235 MX$4,405

213.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$3,243 MX$60.8K

355.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$44.83 MX$841

19.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$40.16 MX$753

-38.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$90.7 MX$1,700

0.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$42.77 MX$802

68.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$241 MX$4,524

99.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$162 MX$3,042

90.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$381 MX$7,137

164.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$241 MX$4,515

163.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$563 MX$10.6K

182.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$408 MX$7,648

44.59%

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 Zacatecas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Zacatecas

$162 22.2% 47.5% $147

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Zacatecas

$224 30.7% 4.2% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Zacatecas

$98 13.5% 9.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zacatecas

$55 7.6% 41.3% $39

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Zacatecas

$131 18% 69.4% $54

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Zacatecas

$26 3.5% 57.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Zacatecas

$33 4.5% 34.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $241 in Zacatecas. 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 45% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $32 in Zacatecas. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $224 in Zacatecas – so Zacatecas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

14:25 2:25 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

138,444

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Zacatecas 14,830 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zacatecas

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 Zacatecas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Zacatecas, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,096 in Zacatecas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zacatecas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $241 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $235 in Zacatecas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $730 in Zacatecas, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Zacatecas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

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