Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aracaju and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Aracaju: $659 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Aracaju
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Aracaju Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Aracaju

🇧🇷 Brazil

$659

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $659 in Aracaju versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Aracaju $659
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,043 in Aracaju versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Aracaju $1,043
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,427 in Aracaju versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Aracaju $1,427
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Aracaju costs roughly 30% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Aracaju 51% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 R$25.28

$2.13 ฿72.0

117.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.63 R$118

$18.62 ฿628

16.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 R$29.61

$5.60 ฿189

-3.21%

Cappuccino

$1.92 R$10.48

$1.66 ฿56.1

15.66%

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

$1.07 R$5.85

$0.65 ฿21.83

64.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 R$3.02

$0.30 ฿10.29

83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 R$10.25

$2.32 ฿78.4

-18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 R$15.85

$3.67 ฿124

-20.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.61

$2.02 ฿68.0

-49.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 R$7.65

$1.41 ฿47.51

-0.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.94

$1.39 ฿46.96

-21.58%

Eggs

$1.59 R$8.66

$2.37 ฿79.9

-32.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.99 R$38.20

$16.52 ฿557

-57.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 R$19.63

$2.67 ฿90.1

34.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.82 R$37.24

$9.02 ฿304

-24.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 R$10.57

$2.40 ฿80.9

-19.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.74

$1.04 ฿35.13

18.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.66 R$3.59

$1.66 ฿56.0

-60.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.49

$1.56 ฿52.6

-47.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.61

$1.24 ฿41.76

-16.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 R$4.90

$1.09 ฿36.66

-17.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 R$2.79

$0.76 ฿25.70

-32.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.83

$0.51 ฿17.35

37.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 R$12.30

$4.12 ฿139

-45.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 R$30.48

$17.93 ฿605

-68.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R$6.22

$1.62 ฿54.8

-29.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$10.13

$2.82 ฿95.2

-34.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 R$4.65

$0.93 ฿31.53

-8.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.97 R$213

$52.9 ฿1,785

-26.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 R$6.33

$1.18 ฿39.70

-1.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 R$3.33

$0.17 ฿5.79

258.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 R$33.05

$1.81 ฿61.1

234.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.50

$1.47 ฿49.69

-19.05%

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

$21.4K R$116.7K

$21.0K ฿708.9K

1.68%

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

$31.0K R$169.1K

$26.5K ฿894.6K

16.81%

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

$58.7 R$320

$62.6 ฿2,111

-6.20%

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

$9.26 R$50.6

$11.60 ฿392

-20.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.77 R$86.1

$20.30 ฿685

-22.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.03 R$115

$37.88 ฿1,278

-44.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.96 R$142

$3.70 ฿125

601.62%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 R$31.92

$6.51 ฿220

-10.14%

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

$277 R$1,513

$727 ฿24.5K

-61.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,017 R$27.4K

$16.6K ฿559.2K

-69.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R$290

$53.5 ฿1,807

-0.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.44 R$177

$24.80 ฿837

30.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 R$443

$90.4 ฿3,050

-10.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.3 R$411

$72.0 ฿2,428

4.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 R$1,530

$481 ฿16.2K

-41.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 R$736

$310 ฿10.5K

-56.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 R$3,224

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-44.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 R$1,366

$659 ฿22.2K

-62.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 R$6,573

$2,418 ฿81.6K

-50.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$849 R$4,636

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-47.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$422 R$2,302

$595 ฿20.1K

-29.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

79.53%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aracaju: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aracaju

$154 23.4%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 53.5% $83

Accommodation & Living

Aracaju

$135 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 130% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Aracaju

$109 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 0.5% $0.5

Eating Out

Aracaju

$98 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 21.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aracaju

$84 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 12.9% $11

Getting Around

Aracaju

$47 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 25.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Aracaju

$33 5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 55.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $280 in Aracaju and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 41% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $22 in Aracaju vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $154 vs $237, with Aracaju cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Aracaju

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

12:10 12:10 PM

10 h ahead of Aracaju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

602,757

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aracaju Chiang Mai 15,220 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Aracaju
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $659 in Aracaju and $935 in Chiang Mai, so Aracaju is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Aracaju. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $280 in Aracaju versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $277 in Aracaju versus $727 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Aracaju gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Aracaju wins on affordability, Chiang Mai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.