Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pachuca and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Pachuca: $886 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $620 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Pachuca
🇲🇽 Mexico
$886
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$938
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $886 per month in Pachuca vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Pachuca $886
  • Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,483 per month in Pachuca vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Pachuca $1,483
  • Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,079 per month in Pachuca vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Pachuca $2,079
  • Chiang Mai $1,914

Pachuca is about 6% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pachuca and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Pachuca 34% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pachuca
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.80 MX$88.8
$2.26 ฿75.4
112.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.48 MX$489
$19.18 ฿641
38.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.03 MX$148
$5.59 ฿187
43.65%
Cappuccino
$3.09 MX$57.0
$1.72 ฿57.6
79.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 MX$21.50
$0.64 ฿21.54
81.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.16
$0.33 ฿11.18
148.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.61 MX$29.79
$2.36 ฿78.7
-31.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.36 MX$62.2
$3.90 ฿130
-13.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pachuca
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 MX$29.20
$2.05 ฿68.6
-22.93%
White Bread (500g)
$2.54 MX$46.99
$1.40 ฿46.70
81.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.89 MX$34.93
$1.28 ฿42.89
47.66%
Eggs
$2.72 MX$50.4
$2.25 ฿75.3
20.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.22 MX$133
$16.94 ฿566
-57.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.74 MX$87.5
$2.74 ฿91.6
72.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.44 MX$138
$9.36 ฿313
-20.51%
Apples (1kg)
$2.08 MX$38.53
$2.40 ฿80.3
-13.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.29 MX$23.82
$1.01 ฿33.92
27.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 MX$28.10
$1.61 ฿53.9
-5.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.62 MX$29.91
$1.52 ฿50.7
6.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 MX$28.33
$1.28 ฿42.90
19.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 MX$24.70
$1.11 ฿37.22
20.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.93 MX$17.14
$0.72 ฿24.09
29.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 MX$17.46
$0.52 ฿17.54
80.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.33 MX$80.0
$4.33 ฿145
-
Wine (Bottle)
$8.19 MX$151
$17.73 ฿593
-53.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 MX$25.71
$1.63 ฿54.4
-14.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 MX$46.08
$2.85 ฿95.3
-12.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Pachuca
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.52
$0.85 ฿28.31
-32.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.85 MX$496
$53.9 ฿1,801
-50.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.63 MX$48.55
$1.17 ฿39.18
124.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.62 MX$48.34
$0.57 ฿19.00
359.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.11 MX$205
$2.37 ฿79.2
368.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$25.51
$1.45 ฿48.32
-4.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K MX$395.5K
$20.5K ฿684.3K
4.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$433.6K
$26.5K ฿886.1K
-11.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pachuca
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$47.05 MX$869
$62.3 ฿2,083
-24.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.21 MX$355
$12.27 ฿410
56.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.45 MX$415
$19.97 ฿668
12.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pachuca
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.51 MX$434
$37.91 ฿1,267
-37.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.99 MX$203
$3.76 ฿126
192.29%
Cinema Ticket
$4.30 MX$79.4
$6.71 ฿224
-35.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pachuca
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$165 MX$3,049
$797 ฿26.6K
-79.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,599 MX$48.0K
$14.8K ฿495.7K
-82.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pachuca
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.2 MX$983
$53.3 ฿1,780
-0.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.32 MX$745
$25.05 ฿837
60.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.8 MX$1,751
$91.6 ฿3,062
3.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.4 MX$1,430
$73.5 ฿2,455
5.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pachuca
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$400 MX$7,386
$464 ฿15.5K
-13.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$269 MX$4,963
$305 ฿10.2K
-11.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$603 MX$11.1K
$915 ฿30.6K
-34.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$688 MX$12.7K
$552 ฿18.5K
24.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$728 MX$13.5K
$1,912 ฿63.9K
-61.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$638 MX$11.8K
$1,438 ฿48.1K
-55.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pachuca
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$663 MX$12.2K
$595 ฿19.9K
11.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.8
5.57
93.90%

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

Last update for Pachuca: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Pachuca
$269
Chiang Mai
$305 13.4% $36
Groceries & Markets
Pachuca
$210
Chiang Mai
$238 13.1% $28
Eating Out
Pachuca
$122
Chiang Mai
$79 35.4% $43
Clothing & Footwear
Pachuca
$120
Chiang Mai
$110 8.4% $10
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pachuca
$89
Chiang Mai
$95 6.6% $5.9
Getting Around
Pachuca
$45
Chiang Mai
$61 36.7% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Pachuca
$32
Chiang Mai
$51 59.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $400 in Pachuca versus $464 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 11% higher in Pachuca, 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 $26.00 in Pachuca versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $210 in Pachuca vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Pachuca wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Pachuca
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
00:29 12:29 AM
13:29 1:29 PM
13 h ahead of Pachuca
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
297,848
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 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
  • Pachuca Chiang Mai 15,280 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Pachuca
  • 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
Pachuca vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Pachuca or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 6% more than Pachuca, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Pachuca and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,330 per month in Pachuca and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Pachuca or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Pachuca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Pachuca and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $165 per month in Pachuca and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Pachuca or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 13% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Pachuca or in Chiang Mai?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pachuca, where all-in costs run around $886, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Pachuca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Pachuca or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Pachuca costs $886 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Pachuca compared to Chiang Mai?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Pachuca or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Pachuca. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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