Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulum and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,238 in Tulum, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
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Tulum Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,238

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,238 per month in Tulum vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tulum $1,238
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,052 per month in Tulum vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tulum $2,052
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,866 per month in Tulum vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tulum $2,866
Chiang Mai $1,979

Tulum costs about 32% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tulum and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Tulum 9% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.91 MX$148

$2.24 ฿75.6

253.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 MX$1,030

$19.00 ฿641

188.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.28 MX$156

$5.55 ฿187

49.19%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$70.6

$1.67 ฿56.5

125.15%

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

$1.12 MX$21.06

$0.64 ฿21.54

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.77

$0.31 ฿10.31

274.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.36 ฿79.5

22.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 MX$69.5

$3.66 ฿124

1.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.95 ฿65.7

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 MX$36.56

$1.44 ฿48.46

35.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$32.19

$1.33 ฿45.03

28.57%

Eggs

$1.92 MX$36.07

$2.28 ฿77.1

-15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 MX$102

$16.45 ฿555

-67.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.57 MX$142

$2.78 ฿93.9

172.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 MX$163

$9.31 ฿314

-6.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 MX$48.15

$2.35 ฿79.4

8.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 MX$25.47

$0.97 ฿32.79

40.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.80

$1.60 ฿53.9

-10.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.54

$1.50 ฿50.6

1.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 MX$40.84

$1.28 ฿43.11

70.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.11

$1.10 ฿37.18

65.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.59

$0.71 ฿23.82

107.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 MX$15.22

$0.49 ฿16.36

65.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MX$81.2

$4.14 ฿140

4.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.90 MX$148

$17.52 ฿591

-54.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$25.38

$1.61 ฿54.5

-16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.67

$2.78 ฿93.9

-52.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 MX$25.05

$0.87 ฿29.30

52.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.89

$1.16 ฿39.04

129.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 MX$45.63

$0.53 ฿17.80

358.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 MX$98.9

$2.42 ฿81.7

117.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.77

$1.45 ฿48.88

-1.38%

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

$21.5K MX$404.1K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

2.21%

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

$23.4K MX$439.4K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-13.14%

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

$102 MX$1,910

$62.2 ฿2,098

63.65%

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

$16.11 MX$302

$12.17 ฿411

32.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.35 MX$626

$20.12 ฿679

65.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.19 MX$623

$37.31 ฿1,259

-11.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 MX$123

$6.49 ฿219

1.08%

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

$264 MX$4,947

$736 ฿24.8K

-64.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,955 MX$55.5K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-79.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.07 MX$771

$53.4 ฿1,801

-23.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.83 MX$616

$24.64 ฿831

33.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 MX$1,758

$91.5 ฿3,087

2.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.7 MX$1,102

$71.9 ฿2,427

-18.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 MX$11.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

24.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 MX$10.1K

$309 ฿10.4K

74.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 MX$28.4K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

50.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 MX$23.3K

$633 ฿21.4K

95.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,150 MX$59.1K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

33.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,783 MX$33.5K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

12.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$780 MX$14.6K

$590 ฿19.9K

32.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

5.57

93.90%

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

Last update for Tulum: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tulum

$539 43.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 42.7% $230

Groceries & Markets

Tulum

$215 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 8.9% $19

Eating Out

Tulum

$164 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 52.8% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulum

$151 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 37.5% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Tulum

$102 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 6.7% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Tulum

$46 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 8.5% $4

Getting Around

Tulum

$20 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 205% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $599 in Tulum versus $482 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.

Salaries run about 32% higher in Tulum, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Tulum versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Tulum vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Tulum wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tulum

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:18 2:18 PM

02:18 2:18 AM

12 h ahead of Tulum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,721

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tulum Chiang Mai 15,590 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Tulum
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

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

Tulum costs about 32% 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 $1,858 per month in Tulum and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $599 in Tulum.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Tulum and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Tulum – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,238 in Tulum and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,238 in Tulum. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tulum makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.