Cost of living comparison

 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
compared to
 Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai vs. Puerto Vallarta Cost of Living Summary

Chiang Mai is 3.6% cheaper than Puerto Vallarta.

Restaurants
pay 55.5% less in Chiang Mai
Groceries
pay 12.2% less in Chiang Mai
Transportation
pay 28.5% more in Chiang Mai
Housing
pay 48.3% less in Chiang Mai
Childcare
pay 79.0% more in Chiang Mai
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.9% less in Chiang Mai
Clothing
pay 10.6% less in Chiang Mai

The cost of childcare and transportation in Chiang Mai are more expensive than in Puerto Vallarta. Expenses including restaurants, housing, groceries, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Chiang Mai. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai vs. Puerto Vallarta Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Chiang Mai instead of Puerto Vallarta, you would:

pay 55.5% less for restaurants

 
Puerto Vallarta
Chiang Mai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $9.93
MX$190.36
$1.75
THB57.28
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$8.19
MX$157.05
$7.28
THB238.68
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.64
MX$31.46
$0.65
THB21.40

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pay 12.2% less for groceries

 
Puerto Vallarta
Chiang Mai
Bread
1 loaf
$2.52
MX$48.27
$1.47
THB48.05
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.06
MX$77.85
$7.16
THB234.62
Milk (1 gallon) $5.53
MX$105.96
$5.98
THB196.11

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pay 28.5% more for transportation

 
Puerto Vallarta
Chiang Mai
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.53
MX$86.78
$4.46
THB146.29
Monthly public transit pass $9.93
MX$190.36
$23.30
THB763.78
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $16,381.22
MX$314,096.25
$21,118.56
THB692,171.99

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pay 48.3% less for housing

 
Puerto Vallarta
Chiang Mai
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$31.18
MX$597.95
$18.20
THB596.46
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $949.03
MX$18,196.82
$388.93
THB12,747.51
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $639.81
MX$12,267.73
$233.89
THB7,665.84

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pay 79.0% more for childcare

 
Puerto Vallarta
Chiang Mai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $339.21
MX$6,504.01
$461.21
THB15,116.40
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $5,956.81
MX$114,216.82
$13,232.91
THB433,715.65

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pay 5.9% less for entertainment and sports

 
Puerto Vallarta
Chiang Mai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.99
MX$38.07
$2.26
THB73.99
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.32
MX$63.65
$1.79
THB58.54
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.92
MX$75.19
$4.37
THB143.21

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pay 10.6% less for clothing

 
Puerto Vallarta
Chiang Mai
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$59.57
MX$1,142.17
$55.83
THB1,829.88
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$33.51
MX$642.47
$30.29
THB992.91
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$93.08
MX$1,784.64
$81.56
THB2,673.22

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025
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