Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durango and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,063 in Durango, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Durango
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Durango Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Durango

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,063

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durango 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 Durango and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,063 per month in Durango vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Durango $1,063
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,670 per month in Durango vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Durango $1,670
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,278 per month in Durango vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Durango $2,278
Chiang Mai $1,999

Durango costs about 14% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.11 MX$134

$2.13 ฿72.0

233.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.88 MX$562

$18.62 ฿628

60.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 MX$195

$5.60 ฿189

84.64%

Cappuccino

$1.85 MX$34.83

$1.66 ฿56.1

11.45%

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

$1.14 MX$21.53

$0.65 ฿21.82

75.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$15.10

$0.30 ฿10.29

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 MX$26.00

$2.32 ฿78.3

-40.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.3

$3.67 ฿124

-27.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$2.02 ฿68.0

-38.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 MX$46.24

$1.41 ฿47.49

74.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MX$22.42

$1.39 ฿46.94

-14.39%

Eggs

$2.19 MX$41.24

$2.37 ฿79.9

-7.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 MX$141

$16.52 ฿557

-54.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.26 MX$155

$2.67 ฿90.1

209.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.01 MX$170

$9.02 ฿304

-0.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 MX$44.57

$2.40 ฿80.9

-1.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$28.33

$1.04 ฿35.12

45.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.81

$1.66 ฿56.0

4.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 MX$21.89

$1.56 ฿52.6

-25.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 MX$22.06

$1.24 ฿41.75

-5.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 MX$23.69

$1.09 ฿36.65

15.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 MX$14.88

$0.76 ฿25.70

3.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$21.26

$0.51 ฿17.34

121.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 MX$70.2

$4.12 ฿139

-9.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.25 MX$249

$17.93 ฿605

-26.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 MX$32.06

$1.62 ฿54.8

4.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 MX$49.69

$2.82 ฿95.2

-6.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.81

$0.93 ฿31.52

-26.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.27 MX$494

$52.9 ฿1,784

-50.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 MX$21.58

$1.18 ฿39.69

-2.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 MX$35.05

$0.17 ฿5.78

994.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.31 MX$175

$1.81 ฿61.1

414.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$25.76

$1.47 ฿49.67

-6.80%

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

$18.8K MX$353.5K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

-10.61%

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

$23.6K MX$445.1K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

-10.81%

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

$56.6 MX$1,065

$62.6 ฿2,110

-9.51%

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

$20.23 MX$381

$11.60 ฿391

74.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.61 MX$501

$20.30 ฿685

31.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.21 MX$418

$37.88 ฿1,278

-41.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.35 MX$176

$3.70 ฿125

152.70%

Cinema Ticket

$3.81 MX$71.6

$6.51 ฿220

-41.47%

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

$176 MX$3,317

$727 ฿24.5K

-75.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,341 MX$44.1K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-85.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$1,018

$53.5 ฿1,806

1.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.33 MX$759

$24.80 ฿836

62.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 MX$1,842

$90.4 ฿3,049

8.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,681

$72.0 ฿2,428

24.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$610 MX$11.5K

$481 ฿16.2K

26.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 MX$7,441

$310 ฿10.5K

27.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 MX$19.3K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-3.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 MX$14.7K

$659 ฿22.2K

18.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MX$36.3K

$2,418 ฿81.5K

-20.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$988 MX$18.6K

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-38.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$529 MX$9,954

$595 ฿20.1K

-11.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.3

5.57

120.83%

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

Last update for Durango: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durango

$395 37.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 21.6% $85

Groceries & Markets

Durango

$238 22.4%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 0.6% $1.4

Eating Out

Durango

$130 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 41.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Durango

$127 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 14.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durango

$103 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 8.7% $9

Getting Around

Durango

$39 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 48.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Durango

$30 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 70.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $610 in Durango versus $481 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 12% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Durango versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Durango

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:29 4:29 AM

17:29 5:29 PM

13 h ahead of Durango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

518,709

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Durango Chiang Mai 14,610 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Durango
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

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

Durango costs about 14% 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 $1,594 per month in Durango 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $610 in Durango.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Durango and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Durango. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,063 in Durango and $935 in Chiang Mai. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,063 in Durango. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.