Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Araraquara and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Araraquara: $620 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Araraquara
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Araraquara Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Araraquara

🇧🇷 Brazil

$620

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $620 in Araraquara versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Araraquara $620
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,027 in Araraquara versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Araraquara $1,027
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,434 in Araraquara versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Araraquara $1,434
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Araraquara costs roughly 34% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Araraquara 54% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.59 R$29.91

$2.24 ฿75.7

149.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.50 R$120

$19.00 ฿642

18.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 R$35.82

$5.55 ฿188

20.72%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.23

$1.67 ฿56.6

25.75%

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

$1.54 R$8.21

$0.64 ฿21.56

140.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 R$4.20

$0.31 ฿10.32

154.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 R$10.16

$2.36 ฿79.6

-19.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.12

$3.66 ฿124

2.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 R$4.41

$1.95 ฿65.8

-57.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R$6.39

$1.44 ฿48.51

-17.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.70

$1.33 ฿45.07

-19.55%

Eggs

$2.32 R$12.39

$2.28 ฿77.1

1.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.24 R$33.35

$16.45 ฿556

-62.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.20 R$17.10

$2.78 ฿94.0

15.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.75 R$30.75

$9.31 ฿314

-38.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.88

$2.35 ฿79.5

-45.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 R$4.71

$0.97 ฿32.82

-9.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 R$4.50

$1.60 ฿53.9

-47.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.28

$1.50 ฿50.7

-22.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 R$4.24

$1.28 ฿43.15

-38.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.77

$1.10 ฿37.22

-36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 R$3.08

$0.71 ฿23.84

-18.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.70

$0.49 ฿16.38

40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.90 R$10.18

$4.14 ฿140

-54.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.75 R$25.41

$17.52 ฿592

-72.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.89

$1.61 ฿54.5

-43.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 R$8.09

$2.78 ฿94.0

-45.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.42

$0.87 ฿29.33

16.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.46 R$131

$54.1 ฿1,827

-54.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.33

$1.16 ฿39.08

1.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 R$5.21

$0.53 ฿17.82

83.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 R$47.24

$2.42 ฿81.8

265.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.84

$1.45 ฿48.93

-24.83%

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

$21.7K R$116.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

3.25%

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

$22.4K R$119.9K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-16.76%

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

$40.58 R$217

$62.2 ฿2,100

-34.73%

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

$9.21 R$49.24

$12.17 ฿411

-24.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.87 R$90.2

$20.12 ฿680

-16.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.45 R$131

$37.31 ฿1,260

-34.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.70 R$100.0

$3.77 ฿127

396.02%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 R$19.95

$6.49 ฿219

-42.53%

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

$280 R$1,495

$736 ฿24.9K

-62.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,013 R$37.5K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-52.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.26 R$231

$53.4 ฿1,802

-18.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.02 R$219

$24.64 ฿832

66.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 R$464

$91.5 ฿3,089

-5.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.2 R$274

$71.9 ฿2,429

-28.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$212 R$1,135

$482 ฿16.3K

-56.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$132 R$708

$309 ฿10.4K

-57.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 R$2,487

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-53.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 R$1,721

$633 ฿21.4K

-49.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,288 R$6,888

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-45.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$430 R$2,300

$590 ฿19.9K

-27.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

5.57

99.64%

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

Last update for Araraquara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Araraquara

$138 22.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 69.7% $96

Accommodation & Living

Araraquara

$132 21.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 133% $177

Eating Out

Araraquara

$116 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 33.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Araraquara

$100 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 8.6% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Araraquara

$67 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 41.7% $28

Getting Around

Araraquara

$35 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 77.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Araraquara

$32 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 57.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $212 in Araraquara and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 37% 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 Araraquara vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $138 vs $234, with Araraquara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Araraquara

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

05:15 5:15 AM

10 h ahead of Araraquara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,228

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Araraquara Chiang Mai 16,580 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Araraquara
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $620 in Araraquara and $936 in Chiang Mai, so Araraquara is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Araraquara. 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: $212 in Araraquara versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $22 in Araraquara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Araraquara 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 – Araraquara wins on affordability, Chiang Mai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.