Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sayulita and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,135 in Sayulita, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Sayulita
Learn more

Sayulita Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Sayulita

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,135

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,135 per month in Sayulita vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sayulita $1,135
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,806 per month in Sayulita vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sayulita $1,806
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,476 per month in Sayulita vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sayulita $2,476
Chiang Mai $1,999

Sayulita costs about 21% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sayulita and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sayulita 16% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 MX$193

$2.13 ฿71.8

386.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.43 MX$734

$18.62 ฿626

111.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 MX$151

$5.60 ฿188

45.18%

Cappuccino

$3.26 MX$60.6

$1.66 ฿55.9

96.39%

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

$1.29 MX$23.98

$0.65 ฿21.75

98.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$17.03

$0.30 ฿10.25

203.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 MX$40.02

$2.32 ฿78.1

-7.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 MX$74.3

$3.67 ฿123

8.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.64

$2.02 ฿67.8

-29.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$49.04

$1.41 ฿47.34

86.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$30.35

$1.39 ฿46.79

17.27%

Eggs

$2.34 MX$43.52

$2.37 ฿79.6

-1.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 MX$153

$16.52 ฿555

-50.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$148

$2.67 ฿89.8

198.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 MX$198

$9.02 ฿303

17.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$48.64

$2.40 ฿80.6

8.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.99

$1.04 ฿35.01

34.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.12

$1.66 ฿55.8

7.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.52

$1.56 ฿52.4

8.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$34.45

$1.24 ฿41.61

49.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$1.09 ฿36.53

77.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 MX$22.68

$0.76 ฿25.61

60.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.17

$0.51 ฿17.29

92.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 MX$77.5

$4.12 ฿139

1.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 MX$203

$17.93 ฿603

-39.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 MX$29.90

$1.62 ฿54.6

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 MX$53.4

$2.82 ฿94.9

1.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$12.23

$0.93 ฿31.42

-29.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.75 MX$572

$52.9 ฿1,778

-41.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.48

$1.18 ฿39.56

125.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 MX$29.92

$0.17 ฿5.76

847.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 MX$150

$1.81 ฿60.9

346.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$23.55

$1.47 ฿49.51

-13.61%

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

$21.0K MX$391.3K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

0.06%

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

$22.0K MX$410.3K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

-16.85%

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

$56.7 MX$1,055

$62.6 ฿2,103

-9.37%

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

$22.35 MX$416

$11.60 ฿390

92.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.37 MX$528

$20.30 ฿683

39.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.51 MX$679

$37.88 ฿1,274

-3.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.17 MX$301

$3.70 ฿124

337.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.53 MX$84.2

$6.51 ฿219

-30.41%

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

$207 MX$3,861

$727 ฿24.4K

-71.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,622 MX$67.4K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-78.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 MX$979

$53.5 ฿1,800

-1.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.96 MX$725

$24.80 ฿834

57.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 MX$1,715

$90.4 ฿3,039

1.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 MX$1,463

$72.0 ฿2,420

9.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 MX$9,550

$481 ฿16.2K

6.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 MX$7,347

$310 ฿10.4K

27.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 MX$17.5K

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-10.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 MX$14.2K

$659 ฿22.1K

15.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,781 MX$33.1K

$2,418 ฿81.3K

-26.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,154 MX$21.5K

$1,609 ฿54.1K

-28.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

5.57

106.10%

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

Last update for Sayulita: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sayulita

$395 34.8%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 21.5% $85

Groceries & Markets

Sayulita

$252 22.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 6% $15

Eating Out

Sayulita

$174 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 56% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Sayulita

$118 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 8.2% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sayulita

$107 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 12.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sayulita

$46 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 11.7% $5.3

Getting Around

Sayulita

$44 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 33.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $513 in Sayulita versus $481 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 $39 in Sayulita versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Sayulita

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

01:32 1:32 AM

13 h ahead of Sayulita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sayulita Chiang Mai 14,870 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Sayulita
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

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

Sayulita costs about 21% 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 $1,703 per month in Sayulita and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $513 in Sayulita and $481 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Sayulita and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Sayulita, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,135 in Sayulita and $935 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 $935 versus $1,135 in Sayulita. 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.