Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cholula and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,077 in Cholula, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Cholula despite lower rent and utilities.

52

Cost of Living Index in Cholula
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Cholula Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cholula

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,077

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cholula and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,077 per month in Cholula vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cholula $1,077
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,703 per month in Cholula vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cholula $1,703
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,329 per month in Cholula vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cholula $2,329
Chiang Mai $1,979

Cholula costs about 15% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cholula and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Cholula 21% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.74 MX$201

$2.24 ฿75.7

379.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 MX$879

$19.00 ฿642

147.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 MX$171

$5.55 ฿188

64.86%

Cappuccino

$3.13 MX$58.6

$1.67 ฿56.6

87.43%

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

$1.51 MX$28.19

$0.64 ฿21.56

135.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.61

$0.31 ฿10.32

274.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 MX$49.57

$2.36 ฿79.6

12.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 MX$88.1

$3.66 ฿124

28.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.35

$1.95 ฿65.8

-3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 MX$57.2

$1.44 ฿48.51

112.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$32.31

$1.33 ฿45.07

30.08%

Eggs

$2.65 MX$49.46

$2.28 ฿77.1

16.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.22 MX$116

$16.45 ฿556

-62.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.54 MX$104

$2.78 ฿94.0

99.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 MX$204

$9.31 ฿314

17.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 MX$47.77

$2.35 ฿79.5

8.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.56

$0.97 ฿32.82

79.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.58

$1.60 ฿53.9

18.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.16

$1.50 ฿50.7

28.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.81

$1.28 ฿43.15

37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.11

$1.10 ฿37.22

60.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$27.34

$0.71 ฿23.84

105.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.53

$0.49 ฿16.38

146.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 MX$83.5

$4.14 ฿140

7.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 MX$256

$17.52 ฿592

-21.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 MX$25.81

$1.61 ฿54.5

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 MX$48.24

$2.78 ฿94.0

-7.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 MX$8.95

$0.87 ฿29.33

-44.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.92 MX$354

$54.1 ฿1,827

-65.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 MX$61.5

$1.16 ฿39.08

183.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 MX$47.26

$0.53 ฿17.82

377.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 MX$295

$2.42 ฿81.8

551.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.30

$1.45 ฿48.93

-2.76%

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

$24.6K MX$460.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

16.98%

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

$22.9K MX$428.3K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-14.93%

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

$58.1 MX$1,086

$62.2 ฿2,100

-6.55%

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

$18.53 MX$346

$12.17 ฿411

52.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.47 MX$439

$20.12 ฿680

16.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.3 MX$1,333

$37.31 ฿1,260

91.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.93 MX$372

$3.77 ฿127

428.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 MX$102

$6.49 ฿219

-16.02%

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

$257 MX$4,806

$736 ฿24.9K

-65.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,548 MX$85.0K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-69.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 MX$959

$53.4 ฿1,802

-3.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 MX$817

$24.64 ฿832

77.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,905

$91.5 ฿3,089

11.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 MX$1,793

$71.9 ฿2,429

33.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 MX$8,056

$482 ฿16.3K

-10.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 MX$5,347

$309 ฿10.4K

-7.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 MX$10.9K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-42.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 MX$8,823

$633 ฿21.4K

-25.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,927 MX$36.0K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-18.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,145 MX$21.4K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-27.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$792 MX$14.8K

$590 ฿19.9K

34.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.96

5.57

96.77%

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

Last update for Cholula: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cholula

$286 26.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 8% $23

Groceries & Markets

Cholula

$255 23.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 8.2% $21

Eating Out

Cholula

$184 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 57.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Cholula

$132 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 17.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cholula

$100 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 5.6% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Cholula

$82 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 38.8% $32

Getting Around

Cholula

$37 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 66.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $431 in Cholula versus $482 in Chiang Mai. 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 34% higher in Cholula. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Cholula versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cholula

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

18:58 6:58 PM

13 h ahead of Cholula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

908

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cholula Chiang Mai 15,400 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Cholula
Chiang Mai

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

Cholula vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cholula costs about 15% 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 $1,615 per month in Cholula and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cholula, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $431 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $257 per month in Cholula and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Cholula, 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 $1,077 in Cholula and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,077 in Cholula. 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, Cholula makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.