Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Chon Buri

For one person, living is cheaper in Chon Buri: $813 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,567
/mo nomad
Chon Buri
🇹🇭 Thailand
$813
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Chon Buri

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 Chon Buri actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $813 in Chon Buri.

  • Mexico City $1,567
  • Chon Buri $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,368 in Chon Buri.

  • Mexico City $2,450
  • Chon Buri $1,368

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,923 in Chon Buri.

  • Mexico City $3,333
  • Chon Buri $1,923

Living in Mexico City is roughly 93% more expensive than in Chon Buri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Chon Buri is 40% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Chon Buri
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.75 MX$199
$1.91 ฿63.7
462.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.3 MX$929
$16.42 ฿549
206.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.10 MX$205
$7.53 ฿252
47.41%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.1
$1.79 ฿59.9
105.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$30.42
$0.70 ฿23.53
135.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.08
$0.34 ฿11.46
282.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.32 MX$61.3
$1.74 ฿58.3
90.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.54 MX$102
$2.96 ฿98.9
87.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Chon Buri
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 MX$32.68
$1.41 ฿47.26
25.53%
White Bread (500g)
$3.05 MX$56.4
$1.25 ฿41.65
144.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.20
$1.22 ฿40.92
64.75%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.1
$1.86 ฿62.0
48.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.91 MX$220
$12.28 ฿410
-3.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.33 MX$172
$2.51 ฿83.8
271.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.02 MX$278
$10.03 ฿335
49.75%
Apples (1kg)
$3.08 MX$56.8
$3.57 ฿119
-13.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.97
$0.96 ฿32.13
103.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.54
$2.45 ฿82.0
-17.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.21 MX$40.92
$1.64 ฿54.8
34.76%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.41
$1.98 ฿66.1
2.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.67
$1.08 ฿35.98
68.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 MX$28.07
$0.75 ฿25.12
102.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.65
$0.41 ฿13.77
212.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.27 MX$97.4
$4.36 ฿146
20.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.12 MX$298
$14.13 ฿472
14.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 MX$36.05
$1.60 ฿53.6
21.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$78.6
$1.85 ฿61.8
129.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Chon Buri
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.82
$0.87 ฿29.19
-64.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.85 MX$367
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.00 MX$36.93
$2.34 ฿78.1
-14.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.86
$1.53 ฿51.3
-65.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.62 MX$104
$4.91 ฿164
14.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$28.07
$1.30 ฿43.30
16.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$388.7K
$26.2K ฿875.3K
-19.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K MX$465.3K
$22.6K ฿753.9K
11.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Chon Buri
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.5 MX$1,155
$82.8 ฿2,766
-24.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.77 MX$532
$9.21 ฿308
212.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.45 MX$637
$22.85 ฿764
50.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Chon Buri
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,055
$46.71 ฿1,561
22.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.81 MX$458
$14.39 ฿481
72.41%
Cinema Ticket
$6.67 MX$123
$6.70 ฿224
-0.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Chon Buri
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$431 MX$7,964
$729 ฿24.4K
-40.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K MX$216.9K
$10.7K ฿357.8K
9.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Chon Buri
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.8 MX$1,308
$6.02 ฿201
1075.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.8 MX$958
$36.01 ฿1,204
43.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 MX$2,011
$71.6 ฿2,393
52.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 MX$2,076
$52.8 ฿1,763
112.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Chon Buri
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,051 MX$19.4K
$519 ฿17.3K
102.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 MX$12.3K
$256 ฿8,551
159.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,346 MX$43.3K
$1,404 ฿46.9K
67.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,227 MX$22.7K
$749 ฿25.0K
63.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,554 MX$65.7K
$1,960 ฿65.5K
81.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,977 MX$36.5K
$1,556 ฿52.0K
27.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Chon Buri
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$975 MX$18.0K
$585 ฿19.6K
66.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
3
276.67%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chon Buri: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$665
Chon Buri
$256 61.5% $409
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$323
Chon Buri
$216 33% $107
Eating Out
Mexico City
$203
Chon Buri
$78 61.5% $125
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$155
Chon Buri
$75 51.6% $80
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Chon Buri
$115 8.6% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$70
Chon Buri
$60 14.7% $10
Getting Around
Mexico City
$26
Chon Buri
$14 * 47.6% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $519 in Chon Buri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 67% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $16.00 in Chon Buri for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $216 per month, with Chon Buri cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇹🇭 Chon Buri
🕒 Local time
00:34 12:34 AM
13:34 1:34 PM
13 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
70,364
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Chon Buri 15,750 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Chon Buri

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 Chon Buri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mexico City or Chon Buri?
Chon Buri wins on cost – living expenses run 93% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chon Buri the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Mexico City or in Chon Buri?
Average pay runs 67% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Mexico City compared to Chon Buri?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $519 in Chon Buri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Mexico City and in Chon Buri?
Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $729 in Chon Buri. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Mexico City and in Chon Buri?
Dining out is cheaper in Chon Buri – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Mexico City or in Chon Buri?
At $813 in Chon Buri versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chon Buri but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Chon Buri the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Mexico City or Chon Buri?
Both work as nomad bases, but Chon Buri delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $813 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chon Buri hard to pass up.
How safe is Mexico City compared to Chon Buri?
Safety-wise, Mexico City and Chon Buri are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Chon Buri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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