Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexicali and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexicali and in Chiang Mai: $927 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Mexicali
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Mexicali Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mexicali

🇲🇽 Mexico

$927

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $927 per month in Mexicali vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mexicali $927
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,485 per month in Mexicali vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mexicali $1,485
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,042 per month in Mexicali vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mexicali $2,042
Chiang Mai $1,979

Mexicali and Chiang Mai have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Mexicali and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mexicali 32% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.33 MX$232

$2.24 ฿75.6

450.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.01 MX$620

$19.00 ฿641

73.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 MX$122

$5.55 ฿187

16.94%

Cappuccino

$3.33 MX$62.4

$1.67 ฿56.5

99.40%

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

$1.37 MX$25.80

$0.64 ฿21.54

114.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$20.01

$0.31 ฿10.31

245.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$60.4

$2.36 ฿79.5

36.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 MX$75.6

$3.66 ฿124

10.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 MX$22.46

$1.95 ฿65.7

-38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 MX$43.49

$1.44 ฿48.46

61.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.97

$1.33 ฿45.03

8.27%

Eggs

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.28 ฿77.1

17.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.40 MX$45.00

$16.45 ฿555

-85.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 MX$113

$2.78 ฿93.9

117.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 MX$124

$9.31 ฿314

-29.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 MX$30.17

$2.35 ฿79.4

-31.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$0.97 ฿32.79

35.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.67

$1.60 ฿53.9

-14.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.42

$1.50 ฿50.6

4.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.75

$1.28 ฿43.11

7.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.93

$1.10 ฿37.18

25.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 MX$25.13

$0.71 ฿23.82

88.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 MX$14.50

$0.49 ฿16.36

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 MX$75.3

$4.14 ฿140

-3.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 MX$150

$17.52 ฿591

-54.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.84

$1.61 ฿54.5

21.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 MX$74.9

$2.78 ฿93.9

43.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 MX$19.19

$0.87 ฿29.30

17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.66 MX$651

$54.1 ฿1,825

-35.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 MX$52.5

$1.16 ฿39.04

141.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 MX$41.18

$0.53 ฿17.80

313.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.17 MX$360

$2.42 ฿81.7

692.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$25.76

$1.45 ฿48.88

-5.52%

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

$24.5K MX$460.8K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

16.55%

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

$23.1K MX$433.7K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-14.25%

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

$47.16 MX$885

$62.2 ฿2,098

-24.14%

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

$21.80 MX$409

$12.17 ฿411

79.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.74 MX$540

$20.12 ฿679

42.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.07 MX$733

$37.31 ฿1,259

4.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.32 MX$306

$3.77 ฿127

332.89%

Cinema Ticket

$3.99 MX$74.8

$6.49 ฿219

-38.52%

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

$198 MX$3,722

$736 ฿24.8K

-73.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,438 MX$83.3K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-69.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.30 MX$625

$53.4 ฿1,801

-37.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.11 MX$603

$24.64 ฿831

30.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,418

$91.5 ฿3,087

-17.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.44 MX$703

$71.9 ฿2,427

-47.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 MX$18.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

100.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MX$4,970

$309 ฿10.4K

-14.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 MX$25.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

36.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 MX$10.0K

$633 ฿21.4K

-15.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,628 MX$49.3K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

11.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,427 MX$26.8K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-10.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$837 MX$15.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

41.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.07

5.57

116.70%

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

Last update for Mexicali: 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

Mexicali

$265 28.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 16.7% $44

Groceries & Markets

Mexicali

$193 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 21.3% $41

Eating Out

Mexicali

$192 20.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 59.6% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexicali

$98 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 3.3% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Mexicali

$80 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.3% $28

Getting Around

Mexicali

$53 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 16.9% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Mexicali

$47 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.9% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $967 in Mexicali 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 42% higher in Mexicali. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Mexicali versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Mexicali vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Mexicali wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexicali

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:20 7:20 PM

10:20 10:20 AM

15 h ahead of Mexicali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

854,186

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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Between locations

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

From you

Mexicali
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,391 per month in Mexicali 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 $967 in Mexicali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Mexicali 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 36% less in Mexicali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $927 in Mexicali and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $927 in Mexicali to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.