Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazatlan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,392 in Mazatlan, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Mazatlan
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Mazatlan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,392

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,392 per month in Mazatlan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mazatlan $1,392
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,002 per month in Mazatlan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mazatlan $2,002
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,612 per month in Mazatlan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mazatlan $2,612
Chiang Mai $1,979

Mazatlan costs about 49% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mazatlan sits 2% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.56 MX$198

$2.24 ฿75.6

371.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.04 MX$846

$19.00 ฿641

137.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 MX$155

$5.55 ฿187

48.83%

Cappuccino

$3.34 MX$62.7

$1.67 ฿56.5

100.00%

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

$1.41 MX$26.55

$0.64 ฿21.54

120.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$20.05

$0.31 ฿10.31

245.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 MX$37.17

$2.36 ฿79.5

-16.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 MX$49.31

$3.66 ฿124

-28.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MX$30.22

$1.95 ฿65.7

-17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 MX$46.82

$1.44 ฿48.46

72.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 MX$25.23

$1.33 ฿45.03

0.75%

Eggs

$2.65 MX$49.82

$2.28 ฿77.1

16.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.85 MX$147

$16.45 ฿555

-52.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 MX$127

$2.78 ฿93.9

143.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 MX$146

$9.31 ฿314

-16.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MX$49.99

$2.35 ฿79.4

13.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$0.97 ฿32.79

62.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.95

$1.60 ฿53.9

Tomato (1kg)

$0.46 MX$8.64

$1.50 ฿50.6

-69.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.84

$1.28 ฿43.11

28.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MX$24.46

$1.10 ฿37.18

18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.81

$0.71 ฿23.82

108.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 MX$74.1

$4.14 ฿140

-4.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 MX$292

$17.52 ฿591

-11.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 MX$38.58

$1.61 ฿54.5

27.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 MX$58.8

$2.78 ฿93.9

12.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MX$13.64

$0.87 ฿29.30

-16.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.65 MX$744

$54.1 ฿1,825

-26.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 MX$65.0

$1.16 ฿39.04

198.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 MX$44.78

$0.53 ฿17.80

349.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.47

$1.45 ฿48.88

0.69%

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

$21.1K MX$396.6K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

0.30%

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

$24.0K MX$449.7K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-11.09%

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

$57.5 MX$1,079

$62.2 ฿2,098

-7.53%

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

$45.40 MX$852

$12.17 ฿411

273.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.54 MX$780

$20.12 ฿679

106.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.74 MX$802

$37.31 ฿1,259

14.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$4.44 MX$83.3

$6.49 ฿219

-31.59%

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

$87.0 MX$1,634

$736 ฿24.8K

-88.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,967 MX$36.9K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-86.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 MX$1,159

$53.4 ฿1,801

15.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.92 MX$505

$24.64 ฿831

9.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,048

$91.5 ฿3,087

19.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 MX$1,538

$71.9 ฿2,427

13.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 MX$15.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

66.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 MX$11.4K

$309 ฿10.4K

96.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 MX$23.4K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

23.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 MX$15.5K

$633 ฿21.4K

30.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,520 MX$28.5K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-35.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,028 MX$19.3K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-35.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$520 MX$9,772

$590 ฿19.9K

-11.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

5.57

108.26%

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

Last update for Mazatlan: 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

Mazatlan

$607 43.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 49.1% $299

Groceries & Markets

Mazatlan

$230 * 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 1.8% $4

Eating Out

Mazatlan

$174 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 55.5% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mazatlan

$144 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 34.6% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Mazatlan

$126 9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 13.7% $17

Getting Around

Mazatlan

$58 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 5.9% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Mazatlan

$52 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 2.6% $1.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $802 in Mazatlan 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 13% 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 $45 in Mazatlan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $230 in Mazatlan vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Mazatlan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mazatlan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

08:59 8:59 AM

14 h ahead of Mazatlan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

441,975

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mazatlan Chiang Mai 14,590 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mazatlan
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

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

Mazatlan costs about 49% 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 $2,088 per month in Mazatlan 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 $482 there versus $802 in Mazatlan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Mazatlan 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 27% less in Mazatlan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,392 in Mazatlan and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.