Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rosarito and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,177 in Rosarito, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rosarito
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Rosarito Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Rosarito

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,177

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,177 per month in Rosarito vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rosarito $1,177
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,869 per month in Rosarito vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rosarito $1,869
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,561 per month in Rosarito vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rosarito $2,561
Chiang Mai $1,903

Rosarito costs about 27% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rosarito and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Rosarito 13% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.45 MX$230

$2.29 ฿76.5

443.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.84 MX$625

$19.64 ฿656

72.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 MX$178

$5.61 ฿188

72.19%

Cappuccino

$4.32 MX$79.9

$1.66 ฿55.6

160.24%

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

$1.43 MX$26.48

$0.70 ฿23.40

104.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.96

$0.31 ฿10.24

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.0

$2.41 ฿80.4

34.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.69 MX$124

$3.71 ฿124

80.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 MX$33.73

$1.95 ฿65.3

-6.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.3

$1.41 ฿47.03

108.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MX$31.87

$1.31 ฿43.62

31.30%

Eggs

$3.15 MX$58.3

$2.18 ฿72.9

44.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 MX$159

$16.65 ฿556

-48.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.28 MX$135

$2.76 ฿92.2

163.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$9.11 ฿304

28.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.39 ฿80.0

17.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.59

$1.03 ฿34.26

55.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.67

$1.63 ฿54.4

15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.43

$1.50 ฿50.0

10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 MX$28.92

$1.29 ฿43.13

21.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.86

$1.11 ฿37.03

64.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.25

$0.72 ฿24.08

112.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$19.89

$0.53 ฿17.59

103.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 MX$80.6

$4.31 ฿144

1.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.26 MX$153

$17.95 ฿600

-53.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 MX$41.65

$1.58 ฿52.9

42.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 MX$74.2

$2.84 ฿95.0

41.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 MX$11.96

$0.86 ฿28.86

-24.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 MX$52.3

$1.21 ฿40.29

133.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 MX$41.04

$0.57 ฿18.99

289.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.87 MX$201

$2.35 ฿78.6

362.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 MX$23.94

$1.44 ฿47.96

-9.72%

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

$21.2K MX$392.4K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

2.43%

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

$24.0K MX$443.6K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-10.43%

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

$46.78 MX$864

$62.3 ฿2,083

-24.95%

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

$34.02 MX$629

$12.11 ฿405

180.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.01 MX$555

$19.94 ฿666

50.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.20 MX$632

$37.07 ฿1,239

-7.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 MX$372

$3.78 ฿126

432.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 MX$122

$6.50 ฿217

1.69%

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

$202 MX$3,739

$793 ฿26.5K

-74.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,641 MX$85.8K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-68.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 MX$1,002

$53.7 ฿1,796

0.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.29 MX$837

$24.62 ฿823

83.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,884

$90.9 ฿3,036

12.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 MX$1,292

$71.1 ฿2,378

-1.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 MX$11.4K

$455 ฿15.2K

35.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 MX$7,256

$298 ฿9,954

31.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$908 ฿30.4K

15.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 MX$14.2K

$554 ฿18.5K

38.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,921 MX$35.5K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-0.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,150 MX$21.2K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-20.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.07

5.57

116.70%

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

Last update for Rosarito: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rosarito

$393 33.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 24.1% $95

Groceries & Markets

Rosarito

$267 22.7%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 11.8% $32

Eating Out

Rosarito

$221 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 64.4% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Rosarito

$122 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 11.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rosarito

$111 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 14.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Rosarito

$47 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 5.6% $2.6

Getting Around

Rosarito

$17 * 1.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 268% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $618 in Rosarito 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Rosarito versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Rosarito

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

01:36 1:36 AM

14 h ahead of Rosarito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,660

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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Between locations

Rosarito Chiang Mai 13,150 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Rosarito
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

Rosarito vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rosarito costs about 27% 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 $1,766 per month in Rosarito 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 $34.00 in Rosarito 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 13% more in Rosarito, 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 Rosarito at $1,177. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rosarito it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,177 in Rosarito. 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, Rosarito makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.