Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tapachula and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,164 in Tapachula, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Tapachula
Learn more

Tapachula Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Tapachula

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,164

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,164 per month in Tapachula vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tapachula $1,164
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,828 per month in Tapachula vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tapachula $1,828
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,493 per month in Tapachula vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tapachula $2,493
Chiang Mai $1,903

Tapachula costs about 26% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tapachula and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Tapachula 14% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.44 MX$193

$2.29 ฿76.5

355.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.58 MX$750

$19.64 ฿656

106.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 MX$146

$5.61 ฿188

40.82%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$68.6

$1.66 ฿55.6

123.49%

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

$1.27 MX$23.45

$0.70 ฿23.40

81.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.35

$0.31 ฿10.24

274.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.58

$2.41 ฿80.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 MX$69.3

$3.71 ฿124

1.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.77

$1.95 ฿65.3

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 MX$49.05

$1.41 ฿47.03

87.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.96

$1.31 ฿43.62

23.66%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$44.94

$2.18 ฿72.9

11.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 MX$149

$16.65 ฿556

-51.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.32 MX$154

$2.76 ฿92.2

201.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 MX$212

$9.11 ฿304

26.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.72

$2.39 ฿80.0

-3.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.23

$1.03 ฿34.26

53.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.50

$1.63 ฿54.4

27.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.81

$1.50 ฿50.0

22.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 MX$34.94

$1.29 ฿43.13

46.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.37

$1.11 ฿37.03

63.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 MX$29.91

$0.72 ฿24.08

125.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.12

$0.53 ฿17.59

105.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.0

$4.31 ฿144

-0.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 MX$170

$17.95 ฿600

-48.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 MX$31.66

$1.58 ฿52.9

8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.84 ฿95.0

7.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 MX$11.19

$0.86 ฿28.86

-29.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.11

$1.21 ฿40.29

119.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 MX$31.45

$0.57 ฿18.99

198.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.99 MX$185

$2.35 ฿78.6

325.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$24.73

$1.44 ฿47.96

-6.94%

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

$25.3K MX$467.0K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

21.92%

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

$23.0K MX$424.7K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-14.24%

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

$54.4 MX$1,006

$62.3 ฿2,083

-12.66%

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

$23.70 MX$438

$12.11 ฿405

95.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.93 MX$498

$19.94 ฿666

35.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.17 MX$687

$37.07 ฿1,239

0.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.73 MX$346

$3.78 ฿126

395.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MX$92.6

$6.50 ฿217

-22.92%

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

$245 MX$4,528

$793 ฿26.5K

-69.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,825 MX$89.2K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-67.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 MX$1,060

$53.7 ฿1,796

6.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.06 MX$759

$24.62 ฿823

66.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 MX$1,820

$90.9 ฿3,036

8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 MX$1,696

$71.1 ฿2,378

29.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 MX$12.4K

$455 ฿15.2K

47.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 MX$7,904

$298 ฿9,954

43.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 MX$20.0K

$908 ฿30.4K

18.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 MX$14.2K

$554 ฿18.5K

39.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,952 MX$36.1K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

1.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 MX$20.1K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-24.74%

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 Tapachula: 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

Tapachula

$428 36.8%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 30.4% $130

Groceries & Markets

Tapachula

$259 22.3%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 9.1% $24

Eating Out

Tapachula

$181 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 56.6% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Tapachula

$130 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 16.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tapachula

$105 9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 10.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Tapachula

$47 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.1% $2.9

Getting Around

Tapachula

$14 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 347% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $673 in Tapachula 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 $41.00 in Tapachula versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tapachula

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

17:19 5:19 PM

13 h ahead of Tapachula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,550

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

Tapachula Chiang Mai 16,070 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Tapachula
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

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

Tapachula costs about 26% 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 $1,745 per month in Tapachula 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 $41.00 in Tapachula 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 10% more in Tapachula, 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 Tapachula at $1,164. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tapachula it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,164 in Tapachula. 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, Tapachula makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.