Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Cabos and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,371 in Los Cabos, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Los Cabos
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Los Cabos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Los Cabos

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,371

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,371 per month in Los Cabos vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Los Cabos $1,371
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,211 per month in Los Cabos vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Los Cabos $2,211
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,051 per month in Los Cabos vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Los Cabos $3,051
Chiang Mai $1,914

Los Cabos costs about 46% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Los Cabos sits 2% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 MX$412

$2.26 ฿75.4

886.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.70 MX$807

$19.18 ฿641

127.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.76 MX$254

$5.59 ฿187

146.15%

Cappuccino

$5.22 MX$96.5

$1.72 ฿57.6

203.49%

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

$2.30 MX$42.51

$0.64 ฿21.54

259.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 MX$38.06

$0.33 ฿11.18

524.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 MX$92.2

$2.36 ฿78.7

111.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 MX$154

$3.90 ฿130

114.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 MX$30.46

$2.05 ฿68.6

-19.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 MX$52.8

$1.40 ฿46.70

104.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 MX$44.07

$1.28 ฿42.89

85.94%

Eggs

$2.41 MX$44.49

$2.25 ฿75.3

7.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 MX$166

$16.94 ฿566

-47.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 MX$177

$2.74 ฿91.6

248.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 MX$328

$9.36 ฿313

89.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 MX$76.4

$2.40 ฿80.3

72.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.89

$1.01 ฿33.92

76.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 MX$54.2

$1.61 ฿53.9

81.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 MX$46.70

$1.52 ฿50.7

66.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.16

$1.28 ฿42.90

82.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 MX$46.73

$1.11 ฿37.22

127.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 MX$22.99

$0.72 ฿24.09

72.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.94

$0.52 ฿17.54

65.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 MX$83.6

$4.33 ฿145

4.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.32 MX$191

$17.73 ฿593

-41.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 MX$29.70

$1.63 ฿54.4

-1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 MX$57.8

$2.85 ฿95.3

9.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 MX$25.98

$0.85 ฿28.31

65.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.20

$1.17 ฿39.18

127.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 MX$35.59

$0.57 ฿19.00

238.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 MX$215

$2.37 ฿79.2

390.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$25.43

$1.45 ฿48.32

-4.83%

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

$21.0K MX$388.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

2.59%

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

$24.3K MX$449.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-8.17%

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

$58.6 MX$1,083

$62.3 ฿2,083

-6.00%

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

$27.70 MX$512

$12.27 ฿410

125.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.59 MX$454

$19.97 ฿668

23.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 MX$637

$37.91 ฿1,267

-9.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.05 MX$371

$3.76 ฿126

433.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.28 MX$79.1

$6.71 ฿224

-36.21%

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

$215 MX$3,971

$797 ฿26.6K

-73.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,652 MX$86.0K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-68.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 MX$1,724

$53.3 ฿1,780

75.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 MX$751

$25.05 ฿837

62.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 MX$2,298

$91.6 ฿3,062

35.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 MX$1,657

$73.5 ฿2,455

22.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 MX$11.3K

$464 ฿15.5K

31.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 MX$7,226

$305 ฿10.2K

28.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 MX$19.3K

$915 ฿30.6K

14.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$781 MX$14.4K

$552 ฿18.5K

41.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,933 MX$35.7K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

1.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,131 MX$20.9K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-21.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$811 MX$15.0K

$595 ฿19.9K

36.18%

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 Los Cabos: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Cabos

$391 28.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 22.1% $86

Eating Out

Los Cabos

$341 24.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 76.9% $262

Groceries & Markets

Los Cabos

$310 22.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 23.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Los Cabos

$157 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 30.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Cabos

$111 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 14.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Los Cabos

$43 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 19.3% $8.3

Getting Around

Los Cabos

$18 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 242% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $612 in Los Cabos versus $464 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 36% higher in Los Cabos, 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 $44.00 in Los Cabos versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Los Cabos

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:29 4:29 AM

18:29 6:29 PM

14 h ahead of Los Cabos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,694

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Los Cabos Chiang Mai 14,420 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Cabos
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

Los Cabos vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Cabos costs about 46% 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 $2,057 per month in Los Cabos and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Los Cabos and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Los Cabos, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Los Cabos at $1,371. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Los Cabos it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,371 in Los Cabos. 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, Los Cabos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.