Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zihuatanejo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,131 in Zihuatanejo, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,131 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zihuatanejo $1,131
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,824 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zihuatanejo $1,824
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,517 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zihuatanejo $2,517
Chiang Mai $1,903

Zihuatanejo costs about 22% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zihuatanejo and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Zihuatanejo 17% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$202

$2.29 ฿77.2

374.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.16 MX$824

$19.64 ฿663

124.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 MX$163

$5.61 ฿189

55.79%

Cappuccino

$3.48 MX$65.0

$1.66 ฿56.1

109.64%

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

$1.36 MX$25.36

$0.70 ฿23.62

94.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 MX$19.01

$0.31 ฿10.33

229.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 MX$45.72

$2.41 ฿81.2

1.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 MX$74.1

$3.71 ฿125

7.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$30.94

$1.95 ฿65.9

-14.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 MX$47.51

$1.41 ฿47.48

80.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.79

$1.31 ฿44.04

25.95%

Eggs

$2.44 MX$45.44

$2.18 ฿73.6

11.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 MX$151

$16.65 ฿562

-51.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 MX$159

$2.76 ฿93.1

208.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.56 MX$216

$9.11 ฿307

26.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$50.8

$2.39 ฿80.7

13.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MX$29.16

$1.03 ฿34.59

51.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.26

$1.63 ฿54.9

19.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 MX$32.98

$1.50 ฿50.5

18.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.29 ฿43.54

50.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$35.02

$1.11 ฿37.38

69.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.61

$0.72 ฿24.31

98.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.40

$0.53 ฿17.76

105.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$79.8

$4.31 ฿145

-0.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 MX$192

$17.95 ฿605

-42.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 MX$33.91

$1.58 ฿53.4

15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$57.1

$2.84 ฿95.9

7.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.73

$0.86 ฿29.14

-20.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,798

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$48.75

$1.21 ฿40.67

115.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 MX$37.74

$0.57 ฿19.17

254.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.18 MX$208

$2.35 ฿79.4

375.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.83

$1.44 ฿48.42

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

$21.3K MX$397.0K

$20.7K ฿699.4K

2.68%

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

$23.9K MX$445.3K

$26.8K ฿904.2K

-10.89%

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

$57.3 MX$1,068

$62.3 ฿2,103

-8.13%

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

$23.00 MX$429

$12.11 ฿409

89.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.80 MX$556

$19.94 ฿673

49.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.76 MX$648

$37.07 ฿1,251

-6.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 MX$373

$3.78 ฿127

429.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$6.50 ฿219

-20.92%

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

$216 MX$4,027

$793 ฿26.7K

-72.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,526 MX$84.4K

$14.8K ฿499.6K

-69.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 MX$1,035

$53.7 ฿1,813

3.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.25 MX$751

$24.62 ฿831

63.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 MX$1,838

$90.9 ฿3,065

8.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,678

$71.1 ฿2,400

26.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MX$11.1K

$455 ฿15.4K

30.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 MX$7,155

$298 ฿10.0K

28.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 MX$19.6K

$908 ฿30.6K

15.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 MX$14.1K

$554 ฿18.7K

37.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 MX$35.7K

$1,931 ฿65.1K

-0.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MX$21.4K

$1,445 ฿48.7K

-20.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

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 Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zihuatanejo

$384 34%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 22.4% $86

Groceries & Markets

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 10.7% $28

Eating Out

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 57.4% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 15.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 14.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Zihuatanejo

$45 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 11.2% $5

Getting Around

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 293% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $596 in Zihuatanejo 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 $44 in Zihuatanejo versus $20 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

15:18 3:18 PM

13 h ahead of Zihuatanejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,408

127,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.65 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zihuatanejo Chiang Mai 15,380 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Zihuatanejo
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

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

Zihuatanejo costs about 22% 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 $1,696 per month in Zihuatanejo 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $455 there versus $596 in Zihuatanejo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Zihuatanejo and $20 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Zihuatanejo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,131 in Zihuatanejo and $925 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 $925 in Chiang Mai to $1,131 in Zihuatanejo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.