Cost of Living · MX vs TH
🇲🇽 Mexico City vs 🇹🇭 Chiang Mai: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,258 in Mexico vs $706 in Thailand — 43.91% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Thailand
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -48.75%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -48.75%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -48.75%
Closest to Mexico prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -16.88%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -17.38%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -17.4%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Mexico | Thailand | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $836 | $428 (14,089 THB) | -48.75% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $669 | $343 (11,271 THB) | -48.75% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,529 | $783 (25,763 THB) | -48.75% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $10.07 | $5.96 (196 THB) | -40.81% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $41.98 | $24.83 (816 THB) | -40.85% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $6.49 | $4.03 (133 THB) | -37.9% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.72 | $0.49 (16 THB) | -31.94% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.10 | $1.43 (47 THB) | -31.9% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.23 | $1.52 (50 THB) | -31.84% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $6.56 | $4.47 (147 THB) | -31.86% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.62 | $1.79 (59 THB) | -31.68% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.15 | $2.15 (71 THB) | -31.75% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $7.87 | $5.37 (177 THB) | -31.77% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.31 | $0.89 (29 THB) | -32.06% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.36 | $1.99 (65 THB) | -40.77% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.48 | $5.35 (176 THB) | -17.44% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.80 | $1.66 (55 THB) | -40.71% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.51 | $1.03 (34 THB) | -31.79% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $38.35 | $23.79 (782 THB) | -37.97% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.62 | $1.01 (33 THB) | -37.65% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.24 | $1.32 (43 THB) | -41.07% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.01 | $0.60 (20 THB) | -40.59% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.77 | $0.64 (21 THB) | -16.88% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $118 | $73.20 (2,407 THB) | -37.97% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $41.30 | $25.62 (842 THB) | -37.97% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $26.55 | $16.47 (542 THB) | -37.97% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $27.98 | $16.55 (544 THB) | -40.85% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $7.84 | $4.63 (152 THB) | -40.94% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $16.79 | $9.93 (327 THB) | -40.86% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $44.54 | $36.79 (1,210 THB) | -17.4% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $72.88 | $60.21 (1,980 THB) | -17.38% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $140 | $82.75 (2,721 THB) | -40.86% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Thailand than Mexico?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $706 in Thailand versus $1,258 in Mexico — 43.91% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Thailand?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $1.99 in Thailand (≈ 65.44 THB), versus about $3.36 in Mexico.
- How much is rent in Thailand compared to Mexico?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $428/month in Thailand versus $836/month in Mexico (-48.75%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.