Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piedras Negras and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,143 in Piedras Negras, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Piedras Negras
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Piedras Negras Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Piedras Negras

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,143

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,143 per month in Piedras Negras vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Piedras Negras $1,143
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,832 per month in Piedras Negras vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Piedras Negras $1,832
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,521 per month in Piedras Negras vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Piedras Negras $2,521
Chiang Mai $1,903

Piedras Negras costs about 24% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Piedras Negras and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Piedras Negras 16% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.07 MX$204

$2.29 ฿76.5

383.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.31 MX$819

$19.64 ฿656

125.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 MX$162

$5.61 ฿188

55.79%

Cappuccino

$3.64 MX$67.3

$1.66 ฿55.6

119.28%

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

$1.40 MX$25.83

$0.70 ฿23.40

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.54

$0.31 ฿10.24

241.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.57

$2.41 ฿80.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 MX$73.9

$3.71 ฿124

7.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.34

$1.95 ฿65.3

-18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 MX$49.36

$1.41 ฿47.03

89.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.82

$1.31 ฿43.62

27.48%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$44.94

$2.18 ฿72.9

11.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.38 MX$155

$16.65 ฿556

-49.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.51 MX$157

$2.76 ฿92.2

208.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 MX$209

$9.11 ฿304

24.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$50.2

$2.39 ฿80.0

13.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.45

$1.03 ฿34.26

49.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.67

$1.63 ฿54.4

18.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.34

$1.50 ฿50.0

20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.59

$1.29 ฿43.13

49.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.71

$1.11 ฿37.03

63.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.41

$0.72 ฿24.08

98.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.73

$0.53 ฿17.59

111.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$79.1

$4.31 ฿144

-0.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$192

$17.95 ฿600

-42.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 MX$32.46

$1.58 ฿52.9

11.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 MX$59.7

$2.84 ฿95.0

13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.90

$0.86 ฿28.86

-25.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 MX$46.95

$1.21 ฿40.29

109.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 MX$37.21

$0.57 ฿18.99

252.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.83 MX$200

$2.35 ฿78.6

360.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 MX$23.90

$1.44 ฿47.96

-10.42%

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

$20.9K MX$386.5K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

0.90%

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

$23.9K MX$442.6K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-10.64%

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

$58.1 MX$1,073

$62.3 ฿2,083

-6.83%

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

$23.02 MX$425

$12.11 ฿405

90.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.92 MX$553

$19.94 ฿666

50.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.75 MX$624

$37.07 ฿1,239

-8.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.83 MX$366

$3.78 ฿126

424.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.33 MX$98.5

$6.50 ฿217

-18.00%

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

$219 MX$4,051

$793 ฿26.5K

-72.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,618 MX$85.3K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-68.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$1,015

$53.7 ฿1,796

2.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.64 MX$751

$24.62 ฿823

65.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 MX$1,835

$90.9 ฿3,036

9.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 MX$1,675

$71.1 ฿2,378

27.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 MX$11.1K

$455 ฿15.2K

31.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 MX$7,221

$298 ฿9,954

31.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 MX$19.2K

$908 ฿30.4K

14.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 MX$13.9K

$554 ฿18.5K

35.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,878 MX$34.7K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-2.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,167 MX$21.6K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-19.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,645 MX$30.4K

$591 ฿19.7K

178.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.57

102.87%

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

Last update for Piedras Negras: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Piedras Negras

$391 34.2%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 23.8% $93

Groceries & Markets

Piedras Negras

$265 23.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 11.1% $29

Eating Out

Piedras Negras

$188 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 58.3% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Piedras Negras

$128 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 15.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piedras Negras

$111 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 15% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Piedras Negras

$44 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 12.7% $5.7

Getting Around

Piedras Negras

$15 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 300% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $599 in Piedras Negras versus $455 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 178% higher in Piedras Negras, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Piedras Negras versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $265 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Piedras Negras

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

15:50 3:50 PM

12 h ahead of Piedras Negras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,959

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Piedras Negras Chiang Mai 14,330 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Piedras Negras
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

Piedras Negras vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Piedras Negras costs about 24% more than Chiang Mai, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,714 per month in Piedras Negras and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Piedras Negras and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Piedras Negras, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Piedras Negras at $1,143. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Piedras Negras it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,143 in Piedras Negras. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Piedras Negras makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.