Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ensenada and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,067 in Ensenada, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Ensenada despite lower rent and utilities.

51

Cost of Living Index in Ensenada
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Ensenada Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ensenada

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,067

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,067 per month in Ensenada vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ensenada $1,067
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,704 per month in Ensenada vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ensenada $1,704
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,340 per month in Ensenada vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ensenada $2,340
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 MX$224

$2.24 ฿75.7

436.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.29 MX$621

$19.00 ฿642

75.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 MX$132

$5.55 ฿188

27.39%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MX$55.7

$1.67 ฿56.6

79.04%

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

$1.19 MX$22.24

$0.64 ฿21.56

85.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 MX$13.09

$0.31 ฿10.32

125.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 MX$50.7

$2.36 ฿79.6

15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 MX$76.1

$3.66 ฿124

11.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 MX$33.46

$1.95 ฿65.8

-8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$49.19

$1.44 ฿48.51

83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.52

$1.33 ฿45.07

23.31%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$47.20

$2.28 ฿77.1

10.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 MX$151

$16.45 ฿556

-50.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 MX$125

$2.78 ฿94.0

141.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.16 MX$189

$9.31 ฿314

9.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.50

$2.35 ฿79.5

-7.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.97

$0.97 ฿32.82

59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.12

$1.60 ฿53.9

11.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.68

$1.50 ฿50.7

6.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 MX$24.48

$1.28 ฿43.15

2.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.26

$1.10 ฿37.22

61.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.78

$0.71 ฿23.84

102.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.61

$0.49 ฿16.38

114.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.93 MX$73.3

$4.14 ฿140

-5.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.15 MX$245

$17.52 ฿592

-24.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 MX$32.68

$1.61 ฿54.5

8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 MX$49.23

$2.78 ฿94.0

-5.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 MX$15.74

$0.87 ฿29.33

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.37 MX$790

$54.1 ฿1,827

-21.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 MX$51.8

$1.16 ฿39.08

139.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 MX$35.63

$0.53 ฿17.82

260.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.18 MX$357

$2.42 ฿81.8

692.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$25.91

$1.45 ฿48.93

-4.14%

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

$24.6K MX$458.2K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

16.72%

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

$23.3K MX$434.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-13.46%

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

$46.42 MX$865

$62.2 ฿2,100

-25.33%

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

$31.55 MX$588

$12.17 ฿411

159.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.24 MX$471

$20.12 ฿680

25.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.30 MX$509

$37.31 ฿1,260

-26.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.72 MX$200

$3.77 ฿127

184.35%

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 MX$83.8

$6.49 ฿219

-30.82%

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

$190 MX$3,550

$736 ฿24.9K

-74.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,838 MX$90.2K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-67.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MX$991

$53.4 ฿1,802

-0.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.89 MX$781

$24.64 ฿832

70.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,909

$91.5 ฿3,089

11.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.5 MX$1,072

$71.9 ฿2,429

-20.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 MX$9,655

$482 ฿16.3K

7.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 MX$5,995

$309 ฿10.4K

4.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 MX$18.2K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-2.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$641 MX$12.0K

$633 ฿21.4K

1.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,346 MX$25.1K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-43.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$666 MX$12.4K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-58.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 MX$12.1K

$590 ฿19.9K

10.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.57

102.87%

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

Last update for Ensenada: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ensenada

$322 30.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 3.9% $13

Groceries & Markets

Ensenada

$251 23.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 6.6% $17

Eating Out

Ensenada

$182 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 57.5% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Ensenada

$115 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 5.3% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ensenada

$103 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 8.5% $8.8

Getting Around

Ensenada

$58 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 5.6% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Ensenada

$36 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 38.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Ensenada 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 10% higher in Ensenada, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Ensenada versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ensenada

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

05:41 5:41 AM

14 h ahead of Ensenada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

330,652

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ensenada Chiang Mai 13,220 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ensenada
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

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

Ensenada 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 $1,601 per month in Ensenada and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $518 in Ensenada and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $190 per month in Ensenada 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 7% more in Ensenada, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,067 in Ensenada 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 $1,067 in Ensenada. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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