Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Chanthaburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chanthaburi: $980 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Chanthaburi
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Chanthaburi Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Chanthaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Chanthaburi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Chanthaburi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $980 in Chanthaburi.

Mexico City $1,674
Chanthaburi $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,577 in Chanthaburi.

Mexico City $2,606
Chanthaburi $1,577

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,174 in Chanthaburi.

Mexico City $3,537
Chanthaburi $2,174

Living in Mexico City is roughly 71% more expensive than in Chanthaburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Chanthaburi is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$1.21 ฿40.53

775.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$37.94 ฿1,274

36.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$7.29 ฿245

47.19%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$1.52 ฿51.1

150.00%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.55 ฿18.48

192.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.29 ฿9.69

317.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$1.67 ฿56.1

90.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$4.57 ฿153

19.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.49 ฿50.2

15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.52 ฿51.0

95.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$0.91 ฿30.47

112.09%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.15 ฿72.2

28.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$17.14 ฿576

-31.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$3.88 ฿130

144.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$12.74 ฿428

20.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$3.74 ฿126

-17.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.71 ฿57.3

14.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$2.80 ฿93.9

-29.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.90 ฿63.7

23.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.19 ฿40.05

69.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.49 ฿49.98

22.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.23 ฿41.34

25.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.48 ฿16.08

172.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$4.69 ฿158

14.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$14.57 ฿490

11.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.69 ฿56.8

15.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$3.31 ฿111

31.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.84 ฿28.09

-64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$88.7 ฿2,978

-78.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$1.02 ฿34.20

88.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$1.06 ฿35.64

-55.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$5.86 ฿197

-7.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.18 ฿39.78

25.42%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$31.7K ฿1.1M

-32.52%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$23.3K ฿783.2K

1.88%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$99.2 ฿3,331

-37.48%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$3.57 ฿120

697.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$10.52 ฿353

224.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$49.62 ฿1,667

17.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$13.05 ฿438

87.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$5.46 ฿183

20.70%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$816 ฿27.4K

-46.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$15.5K ฿520.6K

-9.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$7.28 ฿245

838.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$36.11 ฿1,213

51.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$67.0 ฿2,250

65.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$20.53 ฿690

464.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$437 ฿14.7K

169.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$315 ฿10.6K

144.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$1,088 ฿36.5K

136.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$670 ฿22.5K

111.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$2,184 ฿73.4K

64.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,860 ฿62.5K

10.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.25

116.19%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chanthaburi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Chanthaburi

$315 32.2% 59.1% $455

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Chanthaburi

$262 26.8% 18.9% $61

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Chanthaburi

$71 7.2% 64.8% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Chanthaburi

$59 6% 62.6% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Chanthaburi

$113 11.6% 9.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Chanthaburi

$61 6.2% 15.4% $11

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Chanthaburi

$98 10% 294% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $437 in Chanthaburi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $38 in Chanthaburi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $262 per month, with Chanthaburi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇭 Chanthaburi

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

16:35 4:35 PM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

27,602

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Chanthaburi 15,760 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Chanthaburi

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

Mexico City vs Chanthaburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $980 in Chanthaburi, so Chanthaburi is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,469 in Chanthaburi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $437 in Chanthaburi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 78% less than in Chanthaburi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $816 in Chanthaburi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $980 in Chanthaburi versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Chanthaburi but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Chanthaburi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.