Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zacatecas and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $730 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$730

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $730 per month in Zacatecas vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zacatecas $730
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,155 per month in Zacatecas vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zacatecas $1,155
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,580 per month in Zacatecas vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zacatecas $1,580
Chiang Mai $1,979

Zacatecas is about 22% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Zacatecas and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Zacatecas 46% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.06 MX$113

$2.24 ฿75.5

170.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.91 MX$594

$19.00 ฿640

67.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.17 MX$134

$5.55 ฿187

29.19%

Cappuccino

$3.01 MX$56.2

$1.67 ฿56.4

80.24%

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

$1.25 MX$23.32

$0.64 ฿21.51

95.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 MX$13.36

$0.31 ฿10.29

132.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 MX$34.21

$2.36 ฿79.5

-22.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 MX$76.9

$3.66 ฿123

12.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 MX$25.16

$1.95 ฿65.7

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 MX$39.96

$1.44 ฿48.41

49.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.41

$1.33 ฿44.97

15.04%

Eggs

$2.21 MX$41.13

$2.28 ฿77.0

-3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 MX$136

$16.45 ฿554

-55.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.96 MX$111

$2.78 ฿93.8

114.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 MX$179

$9.31 ฿314

3.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.12

$2.35 ฿79.3

-24.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.63

$0.97 ฿32.75

63.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.88

$1.60 ฿53.8

20.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MX$27.16

$1.50 ฿50.6

-2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.99

$1.28 ฿43.06

55.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MX$32.98

$1.10 ฿37.14

60.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 MX$29.46

$0.71 ฿23.79

122.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.88

$0.49 ฿16.34

63.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$4.14 ฿140

2.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 MX$191

$17.52 ฿590

-41.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 MX$29.77

$1.61 ฿54.4

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MX$62.4

$2.78 ฿93.8

20.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.82

$0.87 ฿29.27

-39.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.07 MX$299

$54.1 ฿1,823

-70.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 MX$39.72

$1.16 ฿39.00

83.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MX$20.66

$0.53 ฿17.78

109.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 MX$177

$2.42 ฿81.6

292.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.19

$1.45 ฿48.82

0.69%

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

$20.9K MX$389.7K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

-0.68%

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

$23.8K MX$443.0K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-11.74%

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

$22.72 MX$423

$62.2 ฿2,095

-63.46%

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

$7.97 MX$149

$12.17 ฿410

-34.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.73 MX$461

$20.12 ฿678

22.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.23 MX$451

$37.31 ฿1,257

-35.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.96 MX$148

$3.77 ฿127

111.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MX$79.1

$6.49 ฿219

-34.67%

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

$235 MX$4,377

$736 ฿24.8K

-68.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,243 MX$60.4K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-78.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.83 MX$835

$53.4 ฿1,799

-16.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.16 MX$748

$24.64 ฿830

62.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 MX$1,689

$91.5 ฿3,083

-0.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.77 MX$797

$71.9 ฿2,424

-40.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 MX$4,495

$482 ฿16.3K

-49.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MX$3,022

$309 ฿10.4K

-47.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,091

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-62.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 MX$4,486

$633 ฿21.3K

-61.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$563 MX$10.5K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-64.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$408 MX$7,599

$590 ฿19.9K

-30.84%

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 Zacatecas: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zacatecas

$224 30.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 4.4% $9.9

Accommodation & Living

Zacatecas

$162 22.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 90.4% $147

Eating Out

Zacatecas

$131 18%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 41% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Zacatecas

$98 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 10.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zacatecas

$55 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 70.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Zacatecas

$33 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 53.7% $18

Getting Around

Zacatecas

$26 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 137% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $241 in Zacatecas 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 45% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Zacatecas versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $224 in Zacatecas vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Zacatecas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:08 1:08 PM

02:08 2:08 AM

13 h ahead of Zacatecas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,444

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zacatecas Chiang Mai 14,830 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Zacatecas
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Zacatecas, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,096 per month in Zacatecas 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 Zacatecas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $241 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $235 per month in Zacatecas and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $730 in Zacatecas and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Zacatecas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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