Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Koh Chang

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Chang: $1,021 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Koh Chang, Thailand
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Koh Chang
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,021
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Koh Chang

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 Koh Chang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,021 in Koh Chang, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Koh Chang $1,021

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,720 in Koh Chang, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Koh Chang $1,720

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,418 in Koh Chang, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Koh Chang $2,418

Mexico City costs about 57% more than Koh Chang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Koh Chang is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Koh Chang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$200
$3.47 ฿117
206.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$909
$26.30 ฿888
83.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$194
$7.04 ฿238
47.02%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$69.4
$2.18 ฿73.5
69.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.32
$0.75 ฿25.33
122.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.78
$0.37 ฿12.35
243.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$60.0
$2.00 ฿67.7
59.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$99.7
$3.00 ฿101
77.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Koh Chang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.41
$1.48 ฿50.0
16.22%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$57.1
$1.25 ฿42.31
143.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.48
$1.37 ฿46.39
41.61%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$54.3
$1.89 ฿63.7
52.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$206
$17.29 ฿584
-36.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$174
$3.05 ฿103
203.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$284
$10.19 ฿344
48.48%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$57.3
$2.68 ฿90.6
13.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.48
$1.53 ฿51.7
26.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.06
$1.95 ฿65.9
4.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.50
$1.85 ฿62.4
24.86%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$38.25
$1.29 ฿43.65
58.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.83
$1.24 ฿41.72
45.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.80
$1.01 ฿34.04
46.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.82
$0.49 ฿16.67
159.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$99.7
$3.77 ฿127
40.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$303
$16.75 ฿565
-3.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$37.27
$1.56 ฿52.7
26.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.9
$2.46 ฿83.0
72.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Koh Chang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.73
$1.21 ฿40.91
-74.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$371
$38.34 ฿1,294
-48.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.53
$2.43 ฿81.9
-24.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$10.03
$0.85 ฿28.77
-37.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$99.5
$2.93 ฿98.9
80.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.39
$1.14 ฿38.48
32.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$408.8K
$21.7K ฿733.1K
0.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$450.8K
$20.9K ฿707.0K
14.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Koh Chang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,184
$94.6 ฿3,191
-33.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$515
$10.67 ฿360
156.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$670
$16.02 ฿541
122.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Koh Chang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,108
$58.0 ฿1,957
1.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$444
$9.00 ฿304
162.67%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$120
$6.49 ฿219
-1.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Koh Chang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,111
$422 ฿14.3K
2.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$214.7K
$10.2K ฿343.5K
12.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Koh Chang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,282
$60.3 ฿2,036
13.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$999
$26.66 ฿900
99.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,026
$89.3 ฿3,015
20.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,204
$81.5 ฿2,751
43.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Koh Chang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.9K
$469 ฿15.8K
137.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.4K
$327 ฿11.0K
117.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.6K
$1,292 ฿43.6K
100.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.4K
$917 ฿31.0K
53.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$68.2K
$2,704 ฿91.2K
34.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$40.1K
$1,904 ฿64.3K
12.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Koh Chang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
5.57
103.77%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Koh Chang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Koh Chang
$327 54% $383
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Koh Chang
$240 24.8% $79
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Koh Chang
$95 51.9% $103
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Koh Chang
$116 25.6% $40
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Koh Chang
$121 3.8% $4.8
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Koh Chang
$71 1.1% $0.8
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Koh Chang
$50 95.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $469 in Koh Chang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $26 in Koh Chang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $240 – making Koh Chang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇹🇭 Koh Chang
🕒 Local time
02:08 2:08 AM
15:08 3:08 PM
13 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
8,500
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Koh Chang 15,800 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Koh Chang

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 Koh Chang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Mexico City and in Koh Chang compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $1,021 in Koh Chang – Koh Chang comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Mexico City compared to Koh Chang?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,531 in Koh Chang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Mexico City and Koh Chang?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Koh Chang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $469 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 33% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $26 in Koh Chang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How far does $2,000 go in Mexico City compared to Koh Chang?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,021 in Koh Chang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Koh Chang?
It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,021 in Koh Chang to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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