Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Escondido and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,219 in Puerto Escondido, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Escondido
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Puerto Escondido Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Puerto Escondido

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,219

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,219 per month in Puerto Escondido vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto Escondido $1,219
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,895 per month in Puerto Escondido vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto Escondido $1,895
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,572 per month in Puerto Escondido vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto Escondido $2,572
Chiang Mai $1,979

Puerto Escondido costs about 30% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Puerto Escondido and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Puerto Escondido 10% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.04 MX$187

$2.24 ฿75.7

348.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.27 MX$788

$19.00 ฿642

122.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 MX$156

$5.55 ฿188

50.81%

Cappuccino

$3.49 MX$65.0

$1.67 ฿56.6

108.98%

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

$1.32 MX$24.70

$0.64 ฿21.56

106.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 MX$18.78

$0.31 ฿10.32

225.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 MX$55.5

$2.36 ฿79.6

26.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 MX$76.7

$3.66 ฿124

12.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.60

$1.95 ฿65.8

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 MX$52.4

$1.44 ฿48.51

95.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.83

$1.33 ฿45.07

16.54%

Eggs

$2.69 MX$50.2

$2.28 ฿77.1

17.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 MX$149

$16.45 ฿556

-51.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.93 MX$204

$2.78 ฿94.0

293.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 MX$214

$9.31 ฿314

23.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$2.35 ฿79.5

17.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.70

$0.97 ฿32.82

70.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.86

$1.60 ฿53.9

16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.04

$1.50 ฿50.7

18.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 MX$29.97

$1.28 ฿43.15

25.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 MX$38.15

$1.10 ฿37.22

86.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.36

$0.71 ฿23.84

107.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$21.14

$0.49 ฿16.38

130.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MX$82.5

$4.14 ฿140

6.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 MX$193

$17.52 ฿592

-40.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 MX$43.16

$1.61 ฿54.5

44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MX$56.5

$2.78 ฿94.0

8.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.68

$0.87 ฿29.33

-9.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.45 MX$586

$54.1 ฿1,827

-41.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$48.59

$1.16 ฿39.08

125.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 MX$32.98

$0.53 ฿17.82

233.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.22 MX$209

$2.42 ฿81.8

363.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MX$25.12

$1.45 ฿48.93

-6.90%

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

$21.2K MX$394.5K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

0.49%

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

$21.8K MX$405.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-19.21%

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

$51.7 MX$964

$62.2 ฿2,100

-16.79%

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

$22.32 MX$416

$12.17 ฿411

83.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.63 MX$664

$20.12 ฿680

77.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.21 MX$507

$37.31 ฿1,260

-27.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.22 MX$377

$3.77 ฿127

436.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 MX$93.5

$6.49 ฿219

-22.65%

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

$216 MX$4,018

$736 ฿24.9K

-70.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,627 MX$86.2K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-68.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 MX$945

$53.4 ฿1,802

-5.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.62 MX$813

$24.64 ฿832

77.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 MX$1,586

$91.5 ฿3,089

-6.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 MX$1,820

$71.9 ฿2,429

35.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 MX$11.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

23.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$439 MX$8,175

$309 ฿10.4K

41.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 MX$17.5K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-6.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 MX$14.0K

$633 ฿21.4K

18.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,004 MX$37.4K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-15.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,179 MX$22.0K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-25.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$329 MX$6,130

$590 ฿19.9K

-44.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

5.57

103.05%

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

Last update for Puerto Escondido: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Escondido

$439 36%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 29.6% $130

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Escondido

$283 23.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 17.1% $49

Eating Out

Puerto Escondido

$180 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 56.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Escondido

$125 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 12.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Escondido

$110 9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 13.9% $15

Getting Around

Puerto Escondido

$46 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 33.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Escondido

$37 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $598 in Puerto Escondido versus $482 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 79% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $42 in Puerto Escondido versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puerto Escondido

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

05:50 5:50 AM

13 h ahead of Puerto Escondido

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,902

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Puerto Escondido Chiang Mai 15,780 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Escondido
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

Puerto Escondido vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Escondido costs about 30% 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 $1,828 per month in Puerto Escondido and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $598 in Puerto Escondido.

Kindergarten costs $216 per month in Puerto Escondido and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Puerto Escondido, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,219 in Puerto Escondido and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,219 in Puerto Escondido. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.