Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chiang Mai vs. Puerto Vallarta Cost of Living Summary
Chiang Mai is 1.6% cheaper than Puerto Vallarta.
Chiang Mai vs. Puerto Vallarta Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chiang Mai instead of Puerto Vallarta, you would:
pay 57.1% less for restaurants
Puerto Vallarta | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $10.86 MX$190.04 | $2.02 THB67.29 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $9.17 MX$160.58 | $8.05 THB268.66 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.91 MX$33.37 | $0.79 THB26.47 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.43 MX$24.96 | $0.34 THB11.34 | |
Puerto Vallarta vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of restaurants
pay 17.8% less for groceries
Puerto Vallarta | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.59 MX$62.85 | $1.58 THB52.80 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.78 MX$101.13 | $8.36 THB279.30 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $6.24 MX$109.30 | $6.70 THB223.71 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.09 MX$36.65 | $2.07 THB69.02 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.85 MX$84.98 | $1.36 THB45.45 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.10 MX$19.29 | $1.33 THB44.48 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.65 MX$11.41 | $0.53 THB17.57 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.76 MX$13.25 | $0.79 THB26.46 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.01 MX$17.73 | $0.74 THB24.85 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.02 MX$17.94 | $0.64 THB21.48 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.40 MX$24.44 | $0.55 THB18.28 | |
Puerto Vallarta vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of groceries
pay 1.4% more for transportation
Puerto Vallarta | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $5.02 MX$87.94 | $4.83 THB161.29 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $16.28 MX$285.05 | $19.14 THB639.18 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $15,199.26 MX$266K | $22,478.88 THB751K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $27.14 MX$475.09 | $11.94 THB398.59 | |
Puerto Vallarta vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of transportation
pay 46.6% less for housing
Puerto Vallarta | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $32.90 MX$575.81 | $19.34 THB645.70 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $990.97 MX$17,346.10 | $440.41 THB14,705.47 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $687.02 MX$12,025.69 | $249.32 THB8,324.94 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $68.93 MX$1,206.55 | $51.23 THB1,710.70 | |
Puerto Vallarta vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of housing
pay 2.4 times more for childcare
Puerto Vallarta | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $280.46 MX$4,909.27 | $644.65 THB21,525.39 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $5,862.57 MX$103K | $15,231.38 THB509K | |
Puerto Vallarta vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of childcare
pay 19.7% less for entertainment and sports
Puerto Vallarta | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.44 MX$42.76 | $2.25 THB75.06 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.80 MX$66.51 | $1.90 THB63.60 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $4.29 MX$75.06 | $4.34 THB144.94 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $36.91 MX$646.12 | $35.28 THB1,177.90 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $8.14 MX$142.53 | $5.12 THB170.82 | |
Puerto Vallarta vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 16.4% less for clothing
Puerto Vallarta | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $54.28 MX$950.18 | $62.01 THB2,070.58 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $34.38 MX$601.78 | $19.90 THB664.31 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $101.78 MX$1,781.59 | $93.02 THB3,105.87 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $95.00 MX$1,662.82 | $67.18 THB2,243.13 | |
Puerto Vallarta vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of clothing
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 2026
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