Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zihuatanejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,131 in Zihuatanejo, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,131 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Zihuatanejo $1,131

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,824 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Zihuatanejo $1,824

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,517 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Zihuatanejo $2,517

Chiang Mai is about 18% cheaper than Zihuatanejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Zihuatanejo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Zihuatanejo 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.2

$10.86 MX$203

-78.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿663

$44.16 MX$827

-55.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿189

$8.74 MX$164

-35.81%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$3.48 MX$65.2

-52.30%

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

$0.70 ฿23.61

$1.36 MX$25.45

-48.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.33

$1.02 MX$19.08

-69.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.1

$2.45 MX$45.89

-1.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿125

$3.98 MX$74.4

-6.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$1.66 MX$31.05

17.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.47

$2.55 MX$47.69

-44.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.03

$1.65 MX$30.90

-20.61%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.6

$2.44 MX$45.61

-10.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿562

$8.11 MX$152

105.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.0

$8.52 MX$159

-67.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿307

$11.56 MX$216

-21.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.7

$2.72 MX$51.0

-12.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.58

$1.56 MX$29.27

-33.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$1.94 MX$36.39

-15.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.77 MX$33.10

-15.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.53

$1.94 MX$36.24

-33.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.37

$1.88 MX$35.15

-40.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.30

$1.43 MX$26.71

-49.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$1.09 MX$20.47

-51.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿145

$4.28 MX$80.1

0.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$10.27 MX$192

74.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$1.82 MX$34.04

-13.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.06 MX$57.3

-7.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.13

$0.68 MX$12.77

26.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,797

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.66

$2.61 MX$48.93

-53.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.16

$2.02 MX$37.88

-71.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$11.18 MX$209

-78.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.40

$1.44 MX$26.93

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

$20.7K ฿699.2K

$21.3K MX$398.4K

-2.61%

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

$26.8K ฿904.0K

$23.9K MX$447.0K

12.23%

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

$62.3 ฿2,102

$57.3 MX$1,072

8.85%

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

$12.11 ฿408

$23.00 MX$431

-47.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿673

$29.80 MX$558

-33.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,250

$34.76 MX$651

6.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

$20.02 MX$375

-81.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿219

$5.14 MX$96.2

26.46%

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

$793 ฿26.7K

$216 MX$4,041

267.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿499.5K

$4,526 MX$84.7K

227.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,813

$55.5 MX$1,038

-3.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿831

$40.25 MX$753

-38.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,064

$98.5 MX$1,844

-7.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,400

$90.0 MX$1,684

-20.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$596 MX$11.1K

-23.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$384 MX$7,182

-22.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$1,053 MX$19.7K

-13.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$759 MX$14.2K

-27.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

$1,915 MX$35.8K

0.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.7K

$1,149 MX$21.5K

25.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.3

-50.71%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Zihuatanejo

$384 34% 28.8% $86

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3% 12% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3% 18.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7% 16.6% $16

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3% 135% $106

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4% 74.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Zihuatanejo

$45 4% 10% $5

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 $596 in Zihuatanejo. 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 in Chiang Mai versus $44 in Zihuatanejo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $264 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

03:16 3:16 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

67,408

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.84 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Zihuatanejo 15,380 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zihuatanejo

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 Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zihuatanejo costs about 22% 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 $1,696 in Zihuatanejo. 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 $455 there versus $596 in Zihuatanejo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai and $44 in Zihuatanejo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Zihuatanejo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $925 in Chiang Mai and $1,131 in Zihuatanejo. 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 $925 in Chiang Mai to $1,131 in Zihuatanejo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.