Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Felipe and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,106 in San Felipe, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in San Felipe
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San Felipe Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Felipe

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,106

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,106 per month in San Felipe vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Felipe $1,106
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,777 per month in San Felipe vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Felipe $1,777
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in San Felipe vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Felipe $2,448
Chiang Mai $1,903

San Felipe costs about 20% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Felipe and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – San Felipe 18% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.35 MX$136

$2.29 ฿76.5

220.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.63 MX$806

$19.64 ฿656

122.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.27 MX$153

$5.61 ฿188

47.42%

Cappuccino

$3.49 MX$64.4

$1.66 ฿55.6

110.24%

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

$1.35 MX$24.91

$0.70 ฿23.40

92.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.41

$0.31 ฿10.24

238.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 MX$45.34

$2.41 ฿80.4

1.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 MX$75.8

$3.71 ฿124

10.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.38

$1.95 ฿65.3

-15.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$46.89

$1.41 ฿47.03

80.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MX$31.80

$1.31 ฿43.62

31.30%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.82

$2.18 ฿72.9

16.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 MX$156

$16.65 ฿556

-49.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.46 MX$156

$2.76 ฿92.2

206.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 MX$217

$9.11 ฿304

28.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 MX$49.26

$2.39 ฿80.0

11.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.23

$1.03 ฿34.26

48.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.63 ฿54.4

15.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.76

$1.50 ฿50.0

22.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.84

$1.29 ฿43.13

54.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.64

$1.11 ฿37.03

68.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.39

$0.72 ฿24.08

98.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.02

$0.53 ฿17.59

103.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$83.1

$4.31 ฿144

4.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.26 MX$190

$17.95 ฿600

-42.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 MX$32.42

$1.58 ฿52.9

10.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 MX$56.8

$2.84 ฿95.0

8.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.65

$0.86 ฿28.86

-26.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MX$48.65

$1.21 ฿40.29

117.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 MX$35.73

$0.57 ฿18.99

238.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.06 MX$204

$2.35 ฿78.6

370.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.73

$1.44 ฿47.96

0.69%

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

$21.4K MX$395.3K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

3.19%

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

$24.5K MX$452.2K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-8.69%

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

$57.9 MX$1,070

$62.3 ฿2,083

-7.11%

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

$23.12 MX$427

$12.11 ฿405

90.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.50 MX$545

$19.94 ฿666

47.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.66 MX$622

$37.07 ฿1,239

-9.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.47 MX$378

$3.78 ฿126

441.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.36 MX$99.0

$6.50 ฿217

-17.54%

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

$219 MX$4,051

$793 ฿26.5K

-72.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,580 MX$84.6K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-69.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 MX$1,002

$53.7 ฿1,796

0.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.18 MX$742

$24.62 ฿823

63.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 MX$1,842

$90.9 ฿3,036

9.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,662

$71.1 ฿2,378

26.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 MX$11.4K

$455 ฿15.2K

35.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 MX$7,184

$298 ฿9,954

30.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MX$19.6K

$908 ฿30.4K

16.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$757 MX$14.0K

$554 ฿18.5K

36.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,934 MX$35.7K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

0.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,147 MX$21.2K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-20.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 San Felipe: 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

San Felipe

$389 35.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 23.4% $91

Groceries & Markets

San Felipe

$265 23.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 11% $29

Eating Out

San Felipe

$156 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 49.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

San Felipe

$128 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 15.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Felipe

$111 10%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 14.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

San Felipe

$44 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 12.8% $5.7

Getting Around

San Felipe

$15 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 310% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $617 in San Felipe 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 $44.00 in San Felipe 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

🇲🇽 San Felipe

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

19:26 7:26 PM

13 h ahead of San Felipe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,452

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

San Felipe Chiang Mai 15,030 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

San Felipe
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

San Felipe vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Felipe costs about 20% 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 $1,660 per month in San Felipe 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 San Felipe 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 San Felipe, 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 San Felipe at $1,106. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Felipe it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,106 in San Felipe. 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, San Felipe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.