Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Todos Santos and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,414 in Todos Santos, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Todos Santos
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,414
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,414 per month in Todos Santos vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Todos Santos $1,414
  • Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Todos Santos vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Todos Santos $2,113
  • Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $2,811 per month in Todos Santos vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Todos Santos $2,811
  • Chiang Mai $1,864

Todos Santos costs about 56% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Todos Santos sits 6% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Todos Santos
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.21 MX$206
$2.13 ฿71.4
426.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.73 MX$805
$19.40 ฿650
125.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.63 MX$159
$5.47 ฿183
57.77%
Cappuccino
$3.54 MX$65.2
$1.68 ฿56.5
110.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.31
$0.66 ฿22.11
107.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 MX$19.19
$0.34 ฿11.52
205.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.57 MX$47.40
$2.42 ฿81.1
6.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.92 MX$72.1
$3.73 ฿125
5.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Todos Santos
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 MX$30.54
$2.06 ฿69.0
-19.42%
White Bread (500g)
$2.62 MX$48.18
$1.46 ฿48.81
79.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.69 MX$31.22
$1.35 ฿45.11
25.19%
Eggs
$2.44 MX$44.87
$2.27 ฿76.0
7.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.26 MX$152
$16.31 ฿547
-49.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.61 MX$159
$2.70 ฿90.4
218.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.57 MX$213
$9.20 ฿308
25.76%
Apples (1kg)
$2.74 MX$50.5
$2.39 ฿80.2
14.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 MX$29.35
$1.04 ฿34.68
52.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.66
$1.60 ฿53.7
24.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.84 MX$33.93
$1.44 ฿48.39
27.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.97 MX$36.28
$1.30 ฿43.62
51.54%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 MX$33.63
$1.11 ฿37.32
64.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 MX$26.80
$0.70 ฿23.57
107.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.04
$0.51 ฿17.00
113.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.34 MX$79.9
$4.13 ฿138
5.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.36 MX$191
$17.78 ฿596
-41.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 MX$32.40
$1.63 ฿54.7
7.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.25 MX$59.9
$2.87 ฿96.1
13.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Todos Santos
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 MX$12.60
$0.86 ฿28.77
-20.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$53.2 ฿1,781
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.57 MX$47.32
$1.22 ฿40.84
110.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 MX$37.81
$0.56 ฿18.82
266.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.19 MX$206
$2.31 ฿77.5
384.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 MX$27.39
$1.50 ฿50.2
-0.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.5K MX$395.1K
$20.9K ฿698.7K
2.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.0K MX$459.6K
$26.7K ฿895.6K
-6.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Todos Santos
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.1 MX$1,125
$61.3 ฿2,052
-0.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.39 MX$412
$12.50 ฿419
79.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.62 MX$564
$20.36 ฿682
50.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Todos Santos
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.85 MX$642
$37.94 ฿1,271
-8.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.74 MX$382
$3.77 ฿126
450.13%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$94.7
$6.60 ฿221
-22.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Todos Santos
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$223 MX$4,116
$774 ฿25.9K
-71.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,578 MX$84.3K
$14.4K ฿483.5K
-68.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Todos Santos
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.2 MX$1,034
$54.8 ฿1,836
2.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.11 MX$794
$25.26 ฿846
70.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 MX$1,861
$90.6 ฿3,034
11.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.8 MX$1,673
$73.3 ฿2,454
24.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Todos Santos
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 MX$18.6K
$459 ฿15.4K
120.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$677 MX$12.5K
$294 ฿9,841
130.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,926 MX$35.5K
$919 ฿30.8K
109.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,005 MX$18.5K
$552 ฿18.5K
82.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,879 MX$34.6K
$1,917 ฿64.2K
-2.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,177 MX$21.7K
$1,445 ฿48.4K
-18.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Todos Santos
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$592 ฿19.8K
-
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 Todos Santos: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Todos Santos
$677
Chiang Mai
$294 56.6% $384
Groceries & Markets
Todos Santos
$267
Chiang Mai
$236 11.5% $31
Eating Out
Todos Santos
$188
Chiang Mai
$77 59% $111
Clothing & Footwear
Todos Santos
$131
Chiang Mai
$110 16.2% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Todos Santos
$114
Chiang Mai
$94 17.5% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Todos Santos
$45
Chiang Mai
$51 13.3% $6
Getting Around
Todos Santos
$16 *
Chiang Mai
$61 289% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,012 in Todos Santos versus $459 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 Todos Santos versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Todos Santos
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
23:05 11:05 PM
13:05 1:05 PM
14 h ahead of Todos Santos
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,148
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 18.42 MXN (100 MXN = 5.43 USD). 1 EUR = 20.64 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 33.5 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Todos Santos Chiang Mai 14,350 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Todos Santos
  • 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
Todos Santos vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Todos Santos or Chiang Mai?
Todos Santos costs about 56% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Todos Santos and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,122 per month in Todos Santos and $1,359 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Todos Santos or Chiang Mai?
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.
How do dining costs compare in Todos Santos and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Todos Santos and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Todos Santos or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 13% more in Todos Santos, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Todos Santos or in Chiang Mai?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $906, than in Todos Santos at $1,414. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Todos Santos it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Todos Santos or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $1,414 in Todos Santos. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Todos Santos compared to Chiang Mai?
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.
Should I move to Todos Santos or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Todos Santos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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