Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Fernando and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,130 in San Fernando, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
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San Fernando Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Fernando

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,130

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in San Fernando vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Fernando $1,130
Chiang Mai $925

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

San Fernando $1,832
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,534 per month in San Fernando vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Fernando $2,534
Chiang Mai $1,903

San Fernando costs about 22% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Fernando and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – San Fernando 17% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$2.29 ฿76.5

369.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.30 MX$800

$19.64 ฿656

120.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 MX$156

$5.61 ฿188

50.09%

Cappuccino

$3.63 MX$67.0

$1.66 ฿55.6

118.67%

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

$1.42 MX$26.21

$0.70 ฿23.40

102.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.52

$0.31 ฿10.24

241.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 MX$44.65

$2.41 ฿80.4

0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 MX$76.7

$3.71 ฿124

11.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MX$29.59

$1.95 ฿65.3

-17.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 MX$49.57

$1.41 ฿47.03

90.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.53

$1.31 ฿43.62

30.53%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.78

$2.18 ฿72.9

16.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 MX$151

$16.65 ฿556

-50.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.27 MX$153

$2.76 ฿92.2

199.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 MX$214

$9.11 ฿304

27.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 MX$49.25

$2.39 ฿80.0

11.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.50

$1.03 ฿34.26

55.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.32

$1.63 ฿54.4

20.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.96

$1.50 ฿50.0

22.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.36

$1.29 ฿43.13

52.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.57

$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)

$1.14 MX$21.00

$0.53 ฿17.59

115.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MX$79.9

$4.31 ฿144

0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.48 MX$194

$17.95 ฿600

-41.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MX$33.11

$1.58 ฿52.9

13.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 MX$59.2

$2.84 ฿95.0

12.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.85

$0.86 ฿28.86

-25.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 MX$47.39

$1.21 ฿40.29

111.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 MX$37.15

$0.57 ฿18.99

252.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$200

$2.35 ฿78.6

360.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.45

$1.44 ฿47.96

3.47%

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

$21.0K MX$387.5K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

1.17%

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

$23.7K MX$438.6K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-11.43%

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

$57.0 MX$1,054

$62.3 ฿2,083

-8.52%

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

$22.91 MX$423

$12.11 ฿405

89.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.54 MX$546

$19.94 ฿666

48.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.60 MX$621

$37.07 ฿1,239

-9.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 MX$372

$3.78 ฿126

432.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$6.50 ฿217

-19.54%

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

$220 MX$4,060

$793 ฿26.5K

-72.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,534 MX$83.8K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-69.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MX$1,003

$53.7 ฿1,796

0.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.69 MX$752

$24.62 ฿823

65.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 MX$1,825

$90.9 ฿3,036

8.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 MX$1,669

$71.1 ฿2,378

26.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 MX$11.3K

$455 ฿15.2K

34.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 MX$7,076

$298 ฿9,954

28.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 MX$19.0K

$908 ฿30.4K

13.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 MX$14.4K

$554 ฿18.5K

40.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 MX$35.3K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-1.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,160 MX$21.4K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-19.71%

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 Fernando: 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 Fernando

$383 33.9%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 22.2% $85

Groceries & Markets

San Fernando

$266 23.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 11.4% $30

Eating Out

San Fernando

$185 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 57.5% $106

Clothing & Footwear

San Fernando

$128 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 15.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Fernando

$109 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 13.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

San Fernando

$44 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 13.6% $6

Getting Around

San Fernando

$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 $612 in San Fernando 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 $43.00 in San Fernando versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Fernando

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

15:50 3:50 PM

13 h ahead of San Fernando

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,867

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Fernando Chiang Mai 15,830 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Fernando costs about 22% 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 $1,695 per month in San Fernando 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 $43.00 in San Fernando 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 San Fernando, 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 Fernando at $1,130. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Fernando it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,130 in San Fernando. 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 Fernando makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.